Much of the Steelers’ 2025 offseason was spent discussing how the team would use both George Pickens and D.K. Metcalf in 2025.

Then, Pittsburgh traded Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys earlier this week, meaning that instead of having two high-caliber boundary threats on offense, the Pittsburgh receiving core looks largely the same as last year’s, with Metcalf just replacing Pickens in the X role.

A lot has, understandably, been made about the similarities between the two receivers. Both are big pass-catchers who run a similar, downfield route tree. They’re both known for loud personalities and happen to wear No. 14.

Jokes aside, there’s a reason why the Steelers are comfortable with Metcalf replacing Pickens. In many ways, the former Seahawk will be able to fill a similar role in the Pittsburgh offense.

But the two do have some stark differences in how they play which should stand out in 2025.

This won’t be a full breakdown of Metcalf’s game, or even a complete side-by-side of how he compares to Pickens — if you’re looking for more depth, I’ll point you to my colleague Ryan Parish’s March film room that gives a lengthy, tape-supported look at what Metcalf brings to the Steeler offense. It reads a bit differently now with Pickens off the team:

However, while going back and watching more Metcalf and Pickens routes this week, I noticed a major difference on plays where the receivers weren’t targeted at all.

It’s not exactly breaking news that Pickens wasn’t an all-out route-runner during his time with the Steelers. Watching the last few games of his season, his play-to-play effort wasn’t quite as poor as some might believe, but there were definitely plays where he was several gears below full speed.

Sometimes, it didn’t matter much, but other times it hurt his team.

Below, I’ve clipped two plays. The first is Russell Wilson’s Christmas Day interception against the Chiefs, where I remember BTSC member Steel34Defense pointing out that it had a lot to do with Pickens failing to run his vertical route on the bottom of the screen.

The all-22 makes it obvious. The safety never has a reason to bite on Pickens’ route, instead drifting to the middle of the field to pick off the pass intended for tight end Pat Freiermuth.

The second play is far less blatant, but Pickens (now at the top of the screen) is not at full speed on his go route, clearly throttling down before the ball is even in the air. The safety to his side of the field doesn’t get moved off Calvin Austin III at all, and the play, which was already a long shot, becomes even more impossible.

Then there’s Metcalf. He’s not immune to playing slower from time to time, but compared to Pickens, his explosion off the line and straight line speed immediately stand out as a positive. He routinely gets downfield in a hurry off the snap.

Metcalf can win routes early, and his consistent acceleration doesn’t make it immediately clear that he isn’t getting the ball on plays that aren’t designed for him. That creates immediate depth that helps open up underneath routes.

I especially like the first play in the video below. It’s pretty clear from the snap that Metcalf isn’t going to get the ball — he’s running a downfield route against a sizable cushion — but he runs hard anyway and creates a one-on-one opportunity for Jaxon Smith-Njigba running towards the sideline. The play doesn’t end with a completion, but it’s a good effort from Metcalf.

I don’t want this to turn into a trash-on-Pickens session — he ran plenty of good clear routes in 2024 as well. What matters is that Metcalf runs them more consistently and he’s a faster player overall (4.33-second 40-yard dash vs. Pickens’ 4.47). Metcalf accelerating off the line faster than Pickens isn’t always about effort, but rather different athletic profiles.

Pickens is a better above-the-rim, contested-catch receiver — no question. And sometimes he could turn somewhat meandering routes into big plays because his hands and body control were just that good.

Metcalf is not that player. He’s not the most reliable jump ball target despite his size, but he wins with speed and generally runs sharper routes (his big frame also means he’s more likely to bowl tacklers over than try to juke through the defense like Pickens).

He has a bit of a reputation of being mercurial himself (largely at the catch point), but play-to-play he’s noticeably more consistent than Pickens when it comes to both separation and effort.

I mean, this is the guy who gave us an all-time hustle play when he chased down Cardinals safety Budda Baker in 2020 to prevent what looked like a sure pick six.

While the Steelers lost a special talent this offseason in George Pickens, D.K. Metcalf is a better fit for an offense like Pittsburgh’s that’s still trying to find its footing. Metcalf won’t win in all the same ways as Pickens, but his playing style might result in not only big plays for himself, but also better opportunities for his teammates in 2025.