The Pittsburgh Steelers lost wide receiver George Pickens this offseason through trade, but they managed to pick up another top weapon. In March, the Steelers acquired DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for draft picks.
And there are big expectations for Metcalf in Pittsburgh, as evidenced by his earning an honorable mention in ESPN’s ranking of the NFL’s top receivers. However, there is one thing that kept him out of the top 10.
“He’s still one of the biggest matchup problems in the NFL,” an NFL personnel evaluator told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who conducted the rankings by polling league executives, coaches and scouts. “He’s also still limited as a route runner in my opinion.”
Metcalf’s breakout season came in 2020 when he finished the season with 83 receptions for 1,303 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. That earned him second-team All-Pro honors along with a spot in the Pro Bowl. He also made it to the Pro Bowl in 2023when he recorded 1,114 yards and eight touchdowns across 66 receptions. But Metcalf dropped off a bit during the 2024 season.
So with that, he’s ready for a new start after forcing a trade from the Seahawks. And Metcalf detailed why he did so during an appearance on the “Get Got Pod” with Marshawn Lynch and Michael Robinson in March, specifically mentioning that he felt like an “outsider.”
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“We were the only six people left from that 2019 team, the team that felt that real camaraderie in the building,” Metcalf said. “Now, when you start switching out OCs, switching out head coaches, you start getting different messages from what you’re used to. The Pete (Carroll) messages were gone. So now it was just six outsiders trying to get a new message.”
It’s time for Metcalf to step up and prove himself, with training camp being crucial as he looks to build a connection with Rodgers.
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