Steelers Training Camp Takeaways: Drew Allar... Almost

The Pittsburgh Steelers switched up the setting for their most recent training camp practice, and it paid off for a few of the team's struggling players on offense.

With a huge crowd on deck at Latrobe Memorial Stadium for the Steelers' Saturday Night Lights festivities, the team provided just enough fireworks both on and off the field to leave the fans satisfied.

With that, here are the biggest takeaways from Pittsburgh's most recent practice.

Brandon Smith Doesn't Slow Down

It isn't hyperbole to say that Brandon Smith has looked like one of the best players on the field regardless of position whenever he's been out there.

The 27-year-old, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent with Mike McCarthy's Dallas Cowboys back in 2021, seemed to catch everything thrown his way while effortlessly generating separation and being right where the quarterback needed him to be on all of his reps.

The fact that Smith has garnered first-team reps at times speaks volumes about how Pittsburgh's coaching staff views him. There figures to be just about no room on the 53-man roster for a sleeper wide receiver to earn a spot, but Smith is certainly making things real interesting on that front.

May 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Broderick Jones (77) participates in OTA drills at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Broderick Jones Has Bounce-Back Day

It hasn't exactly been pretty for Broderick Jones throughout training camp as he overcomes a significant neck injury he suffered last season that later required spinal fusion surgery.

In need of a strong performance over a rough past couple of days, Jones delivered in front of a lively crowd.

With a handful of strong reps, including one where he stopped Nick Herbig in his tracks, to showing off his light feet without taking any bad losses, Jones' stock is finally pointing up.

He's going to have to keep building on this showing, and the deficit at which he's working when it comes to winning the right tackle job might prove to be insurmountable, but all that matters for the former first-rounder is continuing to stack up good days.

Drew Allar Puts His Potential on Display

Neither of the Steelers' young quarterbacks in Will Howard and Drew Allar provided anything of substance over the prior couple of practices.

Though Howard was better at Latrobe Memorial Stadium than he had been in recent days at Saint Vincent College, Allar was the one who really took a step forward in this practice.

The third-round rookie's placement and footwork didn't look great in the earlier set of drills, but when it came to 11-on-11s towards the end of practice, he began to put on a show.

Allar connected with Smith on a pass deep down the sideline at one point, which drew quite the reaction from the crowd, and all in all he threw with more impressive touch than he had showcased previously.

The 22-year-old also found Robert Tonyan on a wheel route for a huge gain.

It's no secret Allar has a long way to go, though performances like this one are why the Steelers have appeared so bullish about the Penn State product.

Aug 03, 2026; Latrobe, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Gabriel Rubio (96) participates in a practice session at Training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Steelers' Depth iDL Show Off

The interior of the defensive line is one of the deepest and strongest areas of Pittsburgh's roster. With a core of Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, Derrick Harmon, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Yahya Black, the team has plenty of guys it can throw at opposing offenses.

With a fierce competition brewing for the last spot or two amongst the position group, both Dean Lowry and Gabriel Rubio built on their strong camps up to this point while undrafted free agent signee Kevin Jobity Jr. had a few noteworthy plays as a pass rusher as well.

Lowry batted down a pass in a team period early in practice while generating push in his one-on-one reps as well, and Rubio's raw strength showed up in spades once again.

Even Kyler Baugh, whose chances of cracking the 53-man roster are virtually zero, stood out on a few occasions.

The fight for those last spots has brought the best out of the Steelers' interior defensive linemen, which should make for some tough decisions once final roster cuts arrive.

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