Steelers training camp overreactions: Drew Allar outplaying Will Howard? Is Rico Dowdle the new RB1?

LATROBE, Pa. -- For a team that is bringing back most of its starters, there remain a lot of unknowns as it relates to the Pittsburgh Steelers as they continue to move through their second week of training camp.  

Who will be backing up Aaron Rodgers when the Steelers open the regular season? Who is the starting running back? Are the new receivers making an impact? Will Mike McCarthy regret his decision to have a tackling-free training camp?

Pittsburgh's two most recent open practices provided insight regarding each of the above questions. And while things could obviously change between now and Week 1, here is what we currently know based on sideline observations from Saint Vincent College earlier this week. 

Drew Allar has outplayed Will Howard

Overreaction or reality: Reality 

Allar was slightly more impressive than Howard during this week's practices. He was more decisive in his decision-making, took more chances downfield and was often successful whenever he did stretch the field. He also made some tight throws in traffic that included several impressive completions for scores during red zone drills. 

Howard, who has a long history of being entrenched in position battles, is clearly game for the competition. On Monday, two plays after Allar completed a deep pass downfield, Howard decided to go deep himself. The pass wasn't completed, but Howard's decision to test himself in that situation was more notable than the result. 

As far as intangibles are concerned, Howard has the leg up in that department. He was the last player off the field on both Monday and Tuesday. In 2024, his leadership helped Ohio State overcome a devastating loss to archrival Michigan to go on an improbably national title run. And speaking of Ohio State, Howard shared the many similarities between Ryan Day and McCarthy following Monday's practice. 

Allar may have the edge now, but the ultimate test will come in the preseason. Furthermore, in addition to competing against each other, Allar and Howard are also competing against Mason Rudolph, the team's veteran backup. McCarthy hasn't ruled out having four quarterbacks on his roster, but it's safe to assume that he is hoping that two of his three backup quarterbacks play well enough during the preseason to convince him that he only needs three on the 53-man roster. 

One can also assume that McCarthy would rather keep two young quarterbacks on the roster, which could very well lead to Rudolph being the odd man out. For that to happen, though, Allar and Howard have to take full advantage of their opportunities during the preseason. 

Rico Dowdle is the frontrunner to be the Steelers' RB1 

Overreaction or reality: Reality 

Despite rotating first-team reps with Jaylen Warren, it's clear that Dowdle is the front-runner to be Pittsburgh's starting running back when the regular season starts. 

Dowdle, who ran for 1,000 yards during his final season with McCarthy in Dallas, has quickly developed a rapport with Rodgers as a safety valve in the passing game. He is embracing the opportunity to play with and catch passes from Pittsburgh's future Hall of Fame quarterback. 

"The best quarterback I've stepped on a field with," Dowdle told CBS Sports following Tuesday's practice. "Smartest quarterback. It's just been get getting out there, getting beside him and working with him. Definitely looking forward to getting out there during the regular season with him." 

As impressive as Dowdle has been, the Steelers are going to need him and Warren in order to be successful this season. Warren, despite setting career highs last season with 958 rushing yards, 1,291 all-purpose yards and eight total touchdowns, continues to carry a chip on his shoulder after not being selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. 

"I don't think that will ever go away," said Warren, who made the Steelers' initial 53-man roster in 2022 after going undrafted. "Whether it's Year 5 or Year 11, I'll still carry that." 

Warren's individual goal for 2026 is to rush for over 1,000 yards for the first time. He was asked whether or not he and Dowdle can become the eighth pair of teammates to both rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. 

"Oh yeah, for sure," he said. "Our O-line, they've definitely built that chemistry. Everybody's on the same page, and I'm excited for the season to start." 

While the Steelers' running game appears to be primed for success, that wasn't the case during this week's first two practices as Pittsburgh's backs seldom reached the third level of the defense. That is something to keep an eye on when the Steelers kick off the preseason. 

Roman Wilson has established himself as the No. 3 WR 

Overreaction or reality: Reality 

After an impressive opening week of camp, Wilson was just as impressive during this week's first two practices. 

Wilson has received the majority of the reps with Pittsburgh's first-team offense, and he's taken full advance of those reps. Throughout both practices, Wilson was consistently targeted by Rodgers, who is clearly developing trust in Pittsburgh's former third-round pick. 

It's easy to see how Wilson has found a way to move up the depth chart. He's spent time with the jugs machine before practice and has continued to catch passes after practice. 

Along with Wilson, Rodgers' top targets thus far have been Dowdle, DK Metcalf, and tight end Pat Freiermuth. Michael Pittman, one of the Steelers' big offseason acquisitions, was noticeably quiet during both practices. So was rookie Germie Bernard, who is clearly still getting acclimated to life in the NFL. 

Pittsburgh's defense is in decline 

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction 

Defensively, the Steelers don't appear to be negatively impacted by the fact that they no longer have a defensive-oriented head coach. In fact, it appears to be the opposite. 

Led by new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, the Steelers' defense made a bevy of notable plays during the first two days of padded practice. That was the case even with the absence of defensive backs Joey Porter Jr. and Jalen Ramsey. 

Ironically, two other defensive backs, Brandin Echols and newcomer Jaquan Brisker, have been two of Pittsburgh's biggest defensive standouts thus far. Brisker has made his presence felt both in the secondary and up on the line of scrimmage. Echols made several notable plays earlier this week that included an interception of Rodgers during the early portion of Monday's practice. 

Echols' playmaking was complemented by his constant chirping at the offense, a subtle reminder that the Steelers, at their core, are still about being physical and intimidating. 

"I've been like that since high school," Echols said. "It's crazy. I used to watch a lot of Jalen Ramsey [going back to] his rookie year when he was with Jacksonville. All the trash talking it, seeing everything he was doing, it just like motivated me. I was like, 'When I get to the NFL, I want to be just like that.'" 

Ironically, Echols said one of his favorite receivers in the NFL to exchange banter with is one of his teammates. 

"DK," Echols said. "DK brings it out of me. Me and DK are kind of from the same area. He's from Mississippi. I'm from Mississippi. We've got that relationship. We're just trying to make each other better."  

As far as the 2026 season is concerned, Echols said that the Steelers' defense is motivated to prove their naysayers wrong. 

"We're gonna come out with a chip, especially coming off last year," he said. "You know, just looking at some of the rankings, how they had us placed, we know some of the places we shouldn't have been in. ... Now, we just gotta look at this year and just overcome it." 

McCarthy is running a 'soft' camp 

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction 

As good as the Steelers were under McCarthy's predecessor, Mike Tomlin, they continuously fell short when it mattered most in recent years. While some of their shortcomings can be attributed to instability at the quarterback position, it appeared at times that the Steelers were out of gas by the time the postseason arrived. 

McCarthy, perhaps in an effort to avoid a similar outcome, has decided to run a non-tackling training camp. That decision has been met with skepticism from some of the Steelers' blue collar fan base. 

Any NFL coach's training camp is going to be considered "soft" when compared to Tomlin, who ran notoriously tough camps that included practicing in the heat of the day (McCarthy moved practices to earlier in the day). And while this Steelers camp is obviously not as physical as the previous ones, there has and will continue to be plenty of hitting. 

As McCarthy has stated several times, players will be hitting each other during practice, but they will not be taking each other to the ground. There were still several instances, however, when players were inadvertently tackled during the week's first two practices. 

McCarthy's hope is that the Steelers will avoid unnecessary injuries by not tackling during the camp. And while one would think that the players would unanimously be in favor of a tackle-free training camp, as least one notable player has said that they wouldn't mind a little more physicality. 

"Personally, I wish we still had live periods, but I understand," Warren said. "It's different from what I'm used to, but I'm trusting it."