The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up practices at their St. Vincent’s College training camp facility Monday. That made the start of this week a natural time for head coach Mike McCarthy to reflect back on the team’s progress this month.
Nothing is more crucial for the team’s future than what development has or hasn’t been made behind center.
In his first training camp, McCarthy faced two very different quarterback goals. First, get 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers ready for the season. Secondly, develop youngsters Will Howard and Drew Allar while determining if there’s room for both on the 53-man roster.
McCarthy liked what he saw from both young signal-callers during training camp. On Monday, he spoke most highly of Howard.
“I just remember the first time I sat down with Will [Howard] shortly after I got the job. I think he’s clearly done everything that’s been asked of him,” McCarthy told reporters. “He’s changed his body. I think when he left here at that time, came back for offseason program, you could see the effects of the training and then took another step in the five weeks off.
“I thinks he’s very athletic. There’s a lot there to work with. Football comes very natural to him, so he’s definitely grown a lot, and he’ll continue to grow.”
McCarthy’s latest analysis of Howard’s progress comes with 13 days left before the Steelers cut their roster to 53 players.
Steelers’ Mike McCarthy Offers Telling Will Howard Update With QB Question Coming