Steelers Camp — Aug 23: Howard Throws His Way Onto the Bubble

Will Howard got the start he'd been waiting a year for and threw two interceptions in Jets territory, Pittsburgh got shut out 17 to nothing at home Friday night, and by Saturday afternoon former Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats was calling him "now the odd man out" in a four-man quarterback room. Howard's line: 10 of 15 for 74 yards, per Matthew Marczi at Steelers Depot, with both picks killing drives that had crossed midfield — Alex Kozora's charting at the same outlet has the first one coming when Howard "stared down the throw to Roman Wilson for an easy Jets pick." Marczi's blunt read was that Howard "didn't look like someone who will be your backup quarterback this year." And then the counter-report, which Marczi himself flagged: Gerry Dulac says the team has already decided to keep Howard. Film says bubble, the beat's most connected reporter says decided, and cutdown — Sunday, August 30 — referees it.

Drew Allar's relief shift was more volume than damage: 11 of 23 for 110 yards, per Marczi, behind an offense that gave him almost nothing on the ground and committed four accepted penalties during his snaps. Mike McCarthy's postgame assessment leaned protective — "a healthier run game would've helped Allar," and "the fact that he was trusting his feet, trusting his time clock, sliding through the A and B gaps, those are all quality reps that he can learn from" — while dodging the question of whether the rookie third-rounder gets earlier work in Thursday's finale at Buffalo, per Marczi. The veterans watched all of it: McCarthy held out both Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph, saying he "saw what I need to see" from Rudolph against Green Bay, per CBS Sports, and explaining the plan as youth development — "They're young. Will didn't get to play last year... I really want to max out the opportunities with both Will and Drew," per Paul Esden Jr. at Heavy. Kozora's conclusion from the night: neither young quarterback advanced his case, and Rudolph stays the number two by default.

The defense gave the evening its actual highlights. Safety DeShon Elliott played his first game since the knee injury that ended his 2025 season in Week 8 — 19 snaps, a forced fumble Pittsburgh didn't recover, and a self-scouting report worth quoting, per Josh Carney at Steelers Depot: "First drive I was rusty as hell... But it felt good. I had a lot of pregame jitters." Elliott also talked about the emotional weight of the night, his first game since his father's death. Around him, safety Rayshawn Jenkins logged two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss by halftime, inside linebacker Carson Bruener had a sack, and edge Nick Herbig generated steady pressure with a cross-chop rush, all per Kozora. The blemish came early: Geno Smith opened 7 of 7 for 65 yards against Pittsburgh's first-team defense and finished the drive with a touchdown to tight end Jelani Woods, per Amanda Vogt at the Jets' team site. One more line for the tackle file — a week after Troy Fautanu's flag-filled opener, Parker Abate at Steeler Nation has Broderick Jones allowing an easy sack to Jets rookie edge David Bailey.

Two smaller swings, one each way. The penalty problem that produced 11 flags against Green Bay mostly behaved: one accepted penalty through the early going Friday, per Kozora, before the count crept up late. And Kaden Wetjen, the undrafted returner who was last week's preseason star, fumbled one punt and bobbled another, per Kozora — the kind of night that matters most for a player whose roster case is built on returns.

The receiver news, compressed, because it's mostly the absence of news with a better mood attached: DK Metcalf told reporters he feels fine after the undisclosed injury that has kept him out about a week and a half, Michael Pittman Jr.'s issue is a hamstring described as minor, and both are expected to be available for the September 13 opener against Atlanta — but both sat Friday and neither has practiced, per Paolo Songco at Athlon Sports. Elsewhere on the ledger, lineman Gennings Dunker, tackle Max Iheanachor — a neck and shoulder issue — and cornerback Daylen Everette missed Wednesday's practice, per Kozora, with Mike DeFabo at The Athletic noting Dunker left the viewing window with a trainer.

Back in July we previewed Pittsburgh as the division's loudest regression profile — a 7-and-3 record in one-score games and a plus-11 turnover margin, both graded least-repeatable in our data — with the job of outrunning that math handed to Rodgers and a rebuilt receiver room. We've been checking that preview against camp every week, and August is now ending with the test never run: Rodgers hasn't taken a preseason snap, and he, Metcalf and Pittman haven't shared a practice field since August 8. Nothing this week disproved the July read; nothing tested it either. The offense Pittsburgh is counting on will be assembled for the first time in September.

What to watch this week: whether Metcalf and Pittman actually return to practice, whether Rodgers plays Thursday night at Buffalo, and which quarterbacks survive Sunday's cut to 53 — Howard's spot is the cleanest test of whether Dulac's report or the film was right. We'll check after cut day.

_Data via nflverse._