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The Athletic's Mike DeFabo said Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Drew Allar hasn't looked great at the team's early offseason workouts.

Some fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers wondered as Aaron Rodgers free agency dragged on whether the team would be better off with a Drew Allar vs. Will Howard quarterback battle this summer.

Obviously, that wouldn’t help the Steelers in the short term. But it could move the team forward quicker on the path to finding a permanent solution behind center.

On Friday, The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo indirectly explained why that plan was probably never really an option for the Steelers.

“This is a guy (Drew Allar) who’s not ready to play at the NFL level. They need to do considerable work with some of his mechanics, specifically his lower half of his footwork,” DeFabo said on the 93.7 The Fan’s Pomp and Joe Show. “I’ve seen Drew Allar throw a handful of passes, but a lot of those were inaccurate passes.

“He’s not, to me, looked great.

“He’s looked like a guy that is 6-5 and has 10-inch hands and has an unbelievable arm but also needs a lot of work.”

Steelers’ Drew Allar Very Much a Raw QB Prospect

The Steelers landed Allar at No. 76 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. Since making the selection, pundits have billed the former Penn State quarterback as a raw prospect with high upside.

DeFabo didn’t dispute that narrative. If anything, he added to it. But the big takeaway from DeFabo’s analysis of Allar’s early offseason work is how much of a development quarterback he really is.

This guy isn’t 2004 Ben Roethlisberger. He’s a project that needs so much work that on-the-job training with him playing in 2026 probably does him more bad than good.

DeFabo’s analysis might alarm some Steelers fans. But they also shouldn’t be all that unexpected, again, given Allar’s draft position.

“In many ways, DeFabo’s observations are exactly why Allar lasted until the third round,” wrote Steelers Depot’s Ross McCorkle. “The physical traits are obvious, but so is the developmental work ahead.

“The Steelers appear willing to be patient with that process even if it creates an uncomfortable numbers crunch elsewhere on the quarterback depth chart.”

Will the Steelers Keep Four Quarterbacks?

This question comes up every summer with a handful of teams. The question almost always concludes with a no.

In Pittsburgh’s case this season, the Steelers are probably going to find it hard to retain four quarterbacks. The organization just drafted 10 players, giving the Steelers arguably their deepest summer roster in years.

Keeping four quarterbacks will limit Pittsburgh’s ability to find room for another new addition to the roster this offseason.

But the option is probably on the table because of how much of a project Allar is.

In addition to Rodgers, the Steelers also have Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. Rudolph is the only experienced backup option Pittsburgh has in its quarterback room. Meanwhile, Howard appears ready to be a QB3 again this season. Howard received strong reviews for his performances during the first week of offseason workouts.

One option could be to part ways with Rudolph and install Howard as the team’s primary backup behind center. But to do that, the Steelers will have to possess a lot of faith in Howard being able to save Pittsburgh’s season if Rodgers is injured this fall.

In that scenario, Allar would also be QB3.

All offseason workout analysis should be taken with a grain of salt. It’s May. A lot will change before the season.

But the early signs are Allar is what pundits saw through the draft process — a long-term investment project.