The Pittsburgh Steelers’ pair of young quarterbacks received some refreshing news regarding Brendan Sorsby.

With the NFL opting not to hold a supplemental draft this summer and thus ensuring Sorsby’s only other opportunity to enter the league is by declaring for the 2027 NFL Draft, both Will Howard and Drew Allar won’t face any competition from another up-and-coming signal caller this summer.

While next year’s draft is still the target for the Steelers when it comes to finding a franchise quarterback, having to kick the can down the road in this instance means Howard and Allar now have additional time to prove themselves and aren’t at risk of losing their respective roles in 2026.

How Howard Benefits

Unless Pittsburgh was willing, or planning, to carry four quarterbacks had it landed Sorsby in the supplemental draft before it was nixed, Howard was all but certain to part ways with the organization.

Perhaps he would’ve latched back onto the practice squad if he were cut and subsequently cleared waivers, but the 24-year-old would’ve otherwise become a complete afterthought behind Sorsby and Allar.

The outlook on Howard ever becoming a long-term starter for the Steelers is grim at best. Because Sorsby won’t be on the roster this season, however, his battle with Mason Rudolph for the backup job behind Aaron Rodgers won’t be rendered obsolete.

It’s possible Howard could win it over Rudolph and show enough leading into the 2027 campaign that he could earn the starting role to open the year before Allar or a rookie takes over.

That feels like it’s looking too far ahead, though. In the present, the fact that Sorsby isn’t on the team means Howard’s odds of cracking the 53-man roster remain rather high.

Allar Is In a Good Spot

Assuming trading Allar was never on the table regardless of their potential plans if they had brought Sorsby in, the Penn State product was always going to be on the Steelers’ roster in 2026.

The third-round rookie would’ve had far more of a convoluted path to any sort of meaningful role with the team had Sorsby shared the quarterback room with him, though.

Their strengths are incredibly similar, though Sorsby has a significant leg-up over Allar in terms of his mobility, which could’ve ultimately been the difference down the line in any position battle between the two.

It’s still too early to champion Allar, and it’s likely that a first-round quarterback in the 2027 draft would usurp him if that’s the direction Pittsburgh ends up going in.

Nevertheless, with less pressure and more focus from the coaching staff on helping him develop than there would’ve been if Sorsby were in town, Allar doesn’t have to worry about competing with another signal caller when he isn’t really ready to do so.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI, and find our podcast All Steelers Talk on YouTube or anywhere you listen!

Advertisement

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow

Delta-8 is unregulated and untested, and more and more users are paying the price. 

Health experts say the drug often contains chemicals and toxins, resulting in psychotic episodes and, in some cases, long-term damage. 

Should Delta-8 be banned?

Walk into any of the now-hundreds of vape shops in the Pittsburgh region and just about any gas station, and it’s yours for the asking: Delta-8.

It’s an unregulated, quasi-legal form of synthetic cannabis. It’s supposed to be less potent than regular marijuana, but with some users, it’s resulted in psychotic episodes involving hallucinations, hospital admissions or even violence. 

“You have no idea where it’s made, what it’s made with, what’s actually in it,” addiction psychiatrist Elizabeth McCord said. 

Three years ago, a then-21-year-old University of Pittsburgh student took Delta-8 and went on a rampage. He stabbed Al Carlson, a random stranger in the city’s Shadyside neighborhood, seven times, leaving him for dead. 

After his arrest, Jasper Hilliard told police he had been in an altered state, hearing voices. And in court, both the defense and prosecution experts said Hilliard acted in a “substance-induced state of psychosis.” 

Still, Judge Edward Borkowski found him guilty last week of attempted homicide, saying even under the influence, Hilliard could still form intent to kill. Carlson agreed, but Hilliard’s father said his son wouldn’t have attacked but for the drug. 

“My son was peaceful and non-violent for his entire life up to the day the crime happened, and it only happened because, like thousands of people in Pittsburgh, he took Delta-8,” Jasper’s father, Thomas Hilliard, said on June 16.  

Delta-8 adverse reactions 

The Food and Drug Administration has tracked 104 reports of adverse reactions from Delta-8, involving hallucinations, confusion, vomiting and loss of consciousness and has issued a public warning. The FDA points to the unregulated, untested nature of the drug and the unmonitored use of chemicals and potential toxins in the synthesis process. 

McCord says every dose of Delta-8 is a crapshoot. 

“It’s manufactured through chemical conversion rather than grown naturally, so you are exposing yourself to harmful chemicals,” McCord said. “It’s so unregulated that you’re also ingesting toxins.”

But since it’s so readily available, people assume it’s safe — especially in the ingestible form as gummies — which McCord says is an invitation to young people who may be susceptible to long-term brain damage. 

“You go to a gas station or head shop, and you see Delta-8,” McCord said. “It looks like candy, and that’s predatory marketing toward young individuals.”

Delta-8 in Pennsylvania 

But even though 22 states have now banned or severely restricted the sale of Delta-8, Pennsylvania is not one of them. A federal ban is scheduled to go into effect in November. And under proposed legislation to legalize recreational marijuana, synthetic cannabis would be subject to testing, and only authorized dealers could sell it. 

This would take it out of vape shops and gas stations, but too late to prevent the tragedy involving Carlson and Tom Hilliard’s son. 

“I’m surprised the state of Pennsylvania hasn’t done something already,” Tom Hilliard said.