After a rather busy, headline-making offseason that saw the Pittsburgh Steelers add future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson in free agency and then trade for former No. 11 overall pick Justin Fields, the quarterback room was remade in a hurry in Pittsburgh.
Gone were Kenny Pickett (trade), Mitchell Trubisky (release) and Mason Rudolph (signed with Titans in free agency). In came Wilson and Fields.
But even with the headline-making moves to add Wilson and Fields to the roster, the Steelers still had a need on the depth chart as they were the only two quarterbacks on the roster and the Steelers like to have four in the offseason.
Enter longtime NFL veteran and journeyman signal-caller Kyle Allen.
GM Omar Khan and the Steelers added Allen on a one-year deal on March 25, giving the Steelers another experienced, dependable veteran in their quarterback room.
For Allen, it’s another stop in a long, winding NFL career, one that might seem disappointing on the surface considering his reputation entering college. But at this point he’s carved out quite a career for himself and enters his sixth NFL season as an undrafted free agent.
Prior to signing with the Steelers, Allen spent time with the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, Houston Texans and most recently the Buffalo Bills.
Before making the move to the NFL, Allen was once a highly sought-after quarterback.
Coming out of high school at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz., with current Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, Allen was a five-star recruit. He was ranked the No. 1 pro-style quarterback and the No. 1 quarterback in the country, as well as the No. 8 overall recruit in the country.
He had interest from seemingly every school in the country before choosing Texas A&M to play for then-Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin.
Once in College Station, things didn’t go as expected for Allen.
Allen joined A&M coming off the Johnny Manziel Era and ultimately lost the starting quarterback battle as a freshman to Kenny Hill. Ultimately though, as a freshman, Allen took over late in the season and led an upset win over then-No. 3 Auburn, helping A&M get back into the Top 25.
Allen finished his freshman season with a 3-2 record as the starter, closing out his first season in College Station with a 45-37 win over West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl, earning game MVP honors in the process.
Entering the 2015 season, Allen won the starting quarterback battle against Kyler Murray and got off to a 5-0 start. But he fell apart against Alabama and was ultimately benched by Sumlin, putting his time at Texas A&M in question.
Ultimately, Allen decided to transfer to Houston, sitting out the 2016 season due to the transfer rules at the time.
Allen became part of the same recruiting class for Houston as defensive lineman Ed Oliver, who eventually became a teammate of his in Buffalo.
Much like his time at the end at Texas A&M, things didn’t go well in Houston. Allen opened the 2017 season as the starter under head coach Major Applewhite but was benched after the third game of the season due to poor performance. After being a five-star recruit with the pick of wherever he wanted to go, Allen ended his college career on the bench at a non-Power 5 and decided to enter the 2018 NFL Draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.
Despite that former five-star label and some success at A&M, Allen went undrafted in 2018, seeing other quarterbacks like Kyle Lauletta, Luke Falk, Tanner Lee, Danny Etling and Alex McGough get drafted while not hearing his own name called.
Ultimately that might have been the best thing for him as he landed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent and got to sit and learn from Cameron Newton. That season, Newton was shut down early with an injury, leading Allen to be elevated from the practice squad. He ultimately started his first NFL game in the final game of the year against the New Orleans Saints, throwing for 228 yards and two touchdowns and adding a rushing touchdown in a 33-14 win.
Coming off his strong performance in his first career start, Allen started the 2019 season as the backup to Newton and ultimately took over as the full-time starter after Newton was lost for the season again. In 2019, Allen started 12 games, going 5-7 and throwing for 3,322 yards, 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while working under offensive coordinator Norv Turner.
During his time with Turner, Allen’s demeanor stood out to the long-time coach.
“Kyle’s impressed us when he came back, his demeanor and the way he plays,” Turner said of Allen in 2019, according to video via the Panthers’ YouTube page. “He doesn’t change. He doesn’t get all hyped up when he gets in there and gets a chance to play.”
After the 2019 season, Allen was traded to Washington where he reunited with former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera and earned a backup job behind the late Dwayne Haskins. He played sparingly in two seasons in Washington. When he did see the field, he suffered a gruesome dislocated ankle, ending his 2021 season.
Then, he signed with the Houston Texans ahead of the 2022 season.
That year, he started two games before being benched in favor of Davis Mills, then leading him to Buffalo as a backup to good friend Josh Allen (no relation).
For QB guru and personal coach Jordan Palmer, landing in Buffalo for the 2023 season was a best-case scenario for Kyle Allen.
“Kyle is a brilliant young football mind,” Palmer said of Allen signing with the Bills in 2023, according to Sports Illustrated. “I think Kyle’s going to be the best-case scenario as a backup because he’s got a lot of starts, he’s played well in tough situations and he’s going to be able to be candid and honest with somebody that he loves and respects.”
Kyle Allen has a great relationship with Josh Allen, even buying tickets and sitting in the stands after the 2019 season to watch Allen and the Bills in person.
Now, he’s in Pittsburgh with an opportunity to backup Wilson and Fields.
He’s well-traveled, experienced and well thought of in NFL circles.
Kyle Allen’s Film
So, what are the Steelers getting, exactly?
Based on the film, which is minimal in recent years, the Steelers are getting a quarterback with a strong arm, good accuracy and a lot of inconsistencies from a decision-making and mechanics standpoint.
The arm talent stands out, especially over the middle. He can really stand in there and rip it.
This throw against the Steelers last summer in the preseason was pretty impressive.
Good layer on the throw, great pace to fit it into the window and get it to his receiver before the safety can get downhill and make contact at the catch point. Touchdown.
The ball jumps out of his hand, that much is clear on tape.
Though he hasn’t played much, that arm talent hasn’t diminished.
Here against the Cleveland Browns during the 2022 season in one of his two starts, he rips this throw on the dig route for a big completion. That’s a tight window and he puts the ball right on his receiver’s facemask with real zip. Strong throw.
While this one doesn’t go for a completion, it shows off his arm strength and accuracy into some tight windows.
That ball should be caught by his receiver. It’s a strong throw into the high-low window.
The ball is exactly where it needs to be. He’s on time and rips it.
Certainly, an eye-opening throw.
But he also made some incredibly head-scratching decisions with the football, especially in muddy pockets. He didn’t play behind a good offensive line in Houston, and he especially got knocked around against the Miami Dolphins.
That beating he took from Miami led to him throwing off his back foot a lot, missing high and making some woeful mistakes.
As Norv Turner stated back in the 2019 season, when Allen makes mistakes with the ball, it tends to be due to his footwork rather than between the ears.
Mechanics are an issue, especially under pressure.
But when things are relatively clean and he’s able to play in rhythm, things are pretty coming out of Allen’s hand.
Heck of a deep ball from Allen.
The arm talent and accuracy are there but inconsistent, which is why he’s largely a journeyman at this point.
But he’s a strong journeyman to have as QB3 for the Steelers entering the 2024 season behind Wilson and Fields. It’s a comforting position for the Steelers to be in, too, especially after having Mason Rudolph holding down that role the last two seasons. Allen isn’t quite on the same level as Rudolph, but the experience and arm talent are there.
