Ben Roethlisberger admitted he was pleasantly surprised by Drew Allar’s debut for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Drew Allar arrived in the NFL after serving as the starting quarterback for the Penn State Nittany Lions, as the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the third round (76th overall) of the 2026 draft.
And he got off to a brilliant start with his NFL career, shining against the Green Bay Packers. Taking over in the second half of a 28-9 win, the rookie quarterback completed 10-of-13 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns, as well as adding a rushing touchdown on a read-option and leading three scoring drives.
Starting QB Aaron Rodgers sat out to rest, which is standard for established veterans in the preseason. Backups Mason Rudolph and Will Howard handled the first half, leaving Allar to take over in the second half as part of head coach Mike McCarthy’s plan to evaluate the young signal-callers.
Ben Roethlisberger left impressed by Drew Allar’s debut
Speaking on Footbahlin, Ben Roethlisberger liked what he saw from Drew Allar, as well as teammate Will Howard, predicting big things for the future in the NFL.
“I would be incredibly encouraged as a Steelers fan to say I think our future is here, but let’s be certain. I love the fact that we have two options. You can’t afford to put one of them on a practice squad as somebody will come scoop them up.
“I feel the same way about Drew. Like I want him to get more reps… I was pleasantly surprised. I thought he was super consistent. Just like Will, he made good decisions with the ball and didn’t turn it over.”
Ben isn’t the only one impressed by what he saw with Allar, as Pittsburgh Steelers fans called for Aaron Rodgers to retire after the youngster’s debut.
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