As Steelers fans wait for a certain 42-year-old quarterback to decide whether he wants to be a Steeler again, the Steelers have added another quarterback.
With the 76th pick, the Steelers selected former Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.
So what does that mean for Aaron Rodgers?
“I don’t believe that has any impact on Aaron,” quarterbacks coach Tom Arth said Friday, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “Certainly, we’re here for Drew and excited about his moment and excited to have him in this room.”
On Wednesday, a day before the draft got started, I asked Steelers defensive lineman and unquestioned team leader Cam Heyward what to tell Steelers fans who were confused and concerned about the status of the quarterback position in Pittsburgh.
“Patience with the process,” Heyward said. “The team is still growing and right now we have two quarterbacks that we feel really comfortable with in Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, hopefully add another guy to the mix. But just stay patient. No team was built on Day 1 of the draft.”
On Day 2, the Steelers added Allar. If Rodgers does indeed return, either Rudolph or Howard will get the heave-ho.
It’s fair to wonder whether the Allar pick represents an acknowledgement that Rodgers may not return. Beyond that, it undermines the idea that new coach Mike McCarthy loves Howard, a sixth-round pick from a year ago. If that was the case, the Steelers would have used pick No. 76 on another position, waiting to get a quarterback later in the draft or signing an undrafted player or adding one of the various remaining free agents.
Still, the dynamics are very different than they were a week ago. Last Saturday, the sense was that Rodgers would be letting the Steelers know his plans before the draft — possibly with Rodgers showing up and waving a Terrible Towel and winning over the various fans who wonder why the Steelers keep waiting around for a free agent in whom no other NFL franchise has expressed interest during the current offseason.
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