During the Pittsburgh Steelers’ annual night practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium on Saturday, rookie quarterback Drew Allar showcased his deep ball accuracy, crediting Aaron Rodgers for mechanics adjustments, while offensive tackle Broderick Jones engineered a strong bounce-back performance against Nick Herbig.
Drew Allar’s Deep Passing Breakthrough Under the Lights
Out of the four quarterbacks on the roster, Penn State rookie Drew Allar had struggled to find consistency over the first eight practices of training camp. That trajectory shifted during the Steelers’ annual night practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium in front of nearly 8,500 fans, the Post-Gazette reported.
Allar delivered his most impressive deep-passing display of camp thus far. His first major strike was a 25-yard pass down the seam that hit ninth-year tight end Robert Tonyan in stride. He followed that immediately with a 30-yard completion down the right sideline to a leaping Brandon Smith in tight coverage, later connecting with Smith again on a 20-yard crossing pattern against zone defense.
The performance offered a welcome rebound after a rocky start that included a viral video of a missed practice net and a contract stalemate over guaranteed money and offset language that was resolved on July 24 when he signed his four-year rookie contract as the 76th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Allar added that he had kind of picking Aaron’s brain on it maybe a week or so ago
before translating those lessons into a live team setting.
Broderick Jones and Offensive Line Adjustments in Latrobe
The offensive line experienced a productive night alongside Allar’s aerial success. Tackle Broderick Jones entered Saturday’s session following a difficult first week of fully padded practices where he struggled mightily in pass protection drills, the Post-Gazette noted.
Working to regain his technique following a season-ending neck injury against the Chicago Bears on November 23, 2025, Payton Wilson put together his strongest camp showing yet when matched against fourth-year edge rusher Nick Herbig during a one-on-one pass protection drill. Against Herbig—who recently signed a $103 million contract extension—Jones displayed strong footwork and hand usage, staying square before throwing the outside linebacker to the ground. He followed up by winning another rep against Jack Sawyer.
Meanwhile, fellow offensive tackle Dylan Cook also turned in a solid outing, twice defeating T.J. Watt during pass rush reps. The overall resilience of the tackle group matters immensely for a franchise that has invested three first-round draft picks into the position over the past four years.
Defensive Pressure and Training Camp Physicality
During a situational “Franco Moment” team period on Saturday, the defense swept all three reps from their own 20-yard line, the Post-Gazette reported.
The rising intensity of camp has occasionally boiled over into physical skirmishes. During a prior padded practice at Saint Vincent College, a scuffle erupted after the whistle when Ben Skowronek delivered an open-handed punch to Patrick Queen’s helmet. Linebacker Payton Wilson intervened, pulling Skowronek down by the collar.
People are sore.
We’re just competing.
We love each other.
Backfield Competition and Roster Outlook
In the backfield, Rico Dowdle has established himself as the frontrunner for the starting running back job while rotating first-team reps alongside Jaylen Warren, CBS Sports reported. Dowdle, who rushed for 1,000 yards in Dallas under Mike McCarthy, praised his new quarterback’s football intellect.
Dowdle called Rodgers the smartest quarterback
and emphasized his eagerness to collaborate during the upcoming regular season. Behind them, Warren continues to run with a chip on his shoulder after going undrafted in 2022, maintaining that whether it’s Year 5 or Year 11, I’ll still carry that.
As the team transitions out of training camp at Latrobe and prepares for upcoming preseason action, head coach Mike McCarthy faces pivotal roster decisions regarding quarterback depth behind Rodgers, with Allar, Will Howard, and veteran Mason Rudolph all competing for position.
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