With QB Russell Wilson missing the first three practices of training camp due to a calf injury, third-string quarterback Kyle Allen has been seeing an increase in reps behind Justin Fields. Allen has a lot of experience in the league, having started 19 games in his career, and he’s a big fan of the balance of Pittsburgh’s offense under Arthur Smith. Allen said that the Steelers are getting a better idea of what their identity will be through three practices.
“It’s very balanced. I think we’re trying to create good balance and we’re trying to figure out our identity. In the spring, we were trying to figure that out, and right now I think we have a better idea of who we are and what we want to be. We’re really getting our base plays down of who we are as that team,” Allen said via Chris Adamski of TribLive on Twitter.
QB3 Kyle Allen on the 1st 3 days of Steelers camp, during which he’s gotten plenty of reps pic.twitter.com/um0v5ajNIy
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) July 28, 2024
From the very first practice, the tenets of Arthur Smith’s offense were clear, with the team utilizing multi-tight end sets, running some pistol formation along with a multitude of play fakes and wide-zone runs. Judging by what the team has done so far and Smith’s past as an offensive coordinator, the Steelers are going to use play-action and run the football often. Their identity will likely be built through their ground game, but there’s no doubt that the team needs to have balance.
Especially with the play-action passing game, quarterbacks are going to need to execute when called upon, and so far, Allen feels like he’s done a solid job through three days.
“I feel like I’ve executed well. I think there’s things to clean up, and there’s more comfortability in the offense, but I’ve felt confident in how I’ve been playing.”
While Allen likely won’t play during the season unless Wilson and Fields both suffer injuries or really struggle, it’s good to have a capable option ready to go in case of emergency, and Allen is a really strong third-string quarterback. The increase in reps is also good for him, as he’s also coming into a new offense. Getting second-team reps will help him learn the offense and develop quicker.
We’ll find out soon if Wilson will return to practice today, but if not, expect another healthy dose of Allen as the offense continues to get comfortable and form their identity.
