The NFL world is buzzing with the opening of the Negotiating Period, the two-day lead in before players and teams can officially put pen to paper. For Steelers fans, Monday mostly passed with a whimper as more players signed big contracts to become former Steelers than joined the team. At the forefront for Pittsburgh, quarterback Justin Fields — who by all reports was the team’s preferred choice heading into 2025 — was leaving for the New York Jets. I hate to say I told you so, but Fields market was right where I said it’d be last week in Read & React.
With Sam Darnold signing with the Seahawks, the Steelers' options at quarterback are getting slim. The popular notion now is that the Steelers will decide between Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. A reunion with Wilson isn’t entirely off the table, but the team hasn’t sounded too gung ho about that option. Rodgers on the other hand can sell an even greater resume than Wilson did last offseason. That would come with its own circus and, in my opinion, reeks of desperation from both player and organization, but that’s a conversation for another day.
If neither of those sound appealing — and I tend to agree — I’d caution Steeler fans that those aren’t the only remaining options.
This has been a long preamble into what should otherwise be extremely exciting news for Steelers fans. Though Monday’s quarterback developments have cast some doubt on the organization’s future, Sunday night’s breaking news hit like a lightning bolt.
After more than a year of searching and yearning, the Steelers finally landed a big name wide receiver, trading with the Seahawks for DK Metcalf. With the trade came a huge extension for the black and gold’s new receiver.
While there are still questions about who exactly will be throwing Metcalf the ball, I wanted to show what Pittsburgh will be getting with their new receiver. As a Seattle resident, I’m was quite familiar with Metcalf’s game already and I watched all 108 targets from his 2024 season for this film room. Today, we’ll be looking at both the good and the bad with Metcalf. To be clear, as a fan I am thrilled with the trade and approve of the move. But as we review some film, we’re still going to highlight some weaknesses along with his strengths in an effort to better understand Pittsburgh’s new receiver.
A Size-Speed Freak
The first thing that will stand out to you about Metcalf is that dudes his size shouldn’t move that fast.
Coming into the league, Metcalf looked like a created character in a Madden game. Standing just under 6’4, Metcalf was a star at the Combine with 90-plus percentile recordings in weight (228 pounds/95th percentile), wingspan (82 7/8”/98th), arm length (34 7/8”/98th), with a 4.33 40-Yard Dash (94th), 40 1/2” vertical (93rd), 134” broad jump (97th), and 27 reps (98th) of the bench press to boot.
This is where DK wins. He doesn’t possess the most refined route tree, but he’s physical enough to be press off the line, and quick enough to close the gap in off coverage to make a defensive back uncomfortable. When he and his quarterback are in sync, he’s a big play waiting to happen.
As you see, Metcalf thrives on vertical routes. Whether that’s go balls, posts, corners,fades or wheel routes, if Metcalf gets behind a defender and his quarterback hits him in stride, there’s a good chance he’s scoring.
Because defenders have to respect him going deep on them, that also opens up routes like comebackers, curls, digs, and outs.
Metcalf's threat as a vertical receiver creates opportunities for routes that play off the defense's fear of him taking off the top pic.twitter.com/0GWnsg1fkl
— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia) March 11, 2025
The Seahawks also loved to use Metcalf on drag routes. Metcalf doesn’t have the best lateral agility, so a lot of the underneath game isn’t his strong suit. But if you can keep the quarterback protected long enough for him to build up a head of steam, Metcalf can find can turn a drag route into a big gain.
Metcalf can also provide a big target if the Steelers and offensive coordinator continue to run a lot of curls and hitches, and he’s not afraid to go over the middle of the field. When he’s at his best, Metcalf finds the soft spot in the defense and uses his big frame to shield defenders from the ball.
On top of taking the top off and drags, Metcalf has several other quick game and intermediate level routes in his tool bag that should be familiar if you've watched Arthur Smith's offense pic.twitter.com/ipf5eKUxKp
— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia) March 11, 2025
Metcalf’s large frame will also make him a welcome addition to the Steelers rushing attack. DK is the type of player he seems to seek out contact, so naturally he likes to bully defensive back in the running game when he can. Two years ago, he was giving Joey Porter Jr. fits.
My favorite play in the reel below is the second one. In it, Metcalf starts to block one defender, but when a teammate arrives for the double team, DK decides to seek out more work and finds Joey Porter Jr again. The Kenneth Walker rush ended up going to the opposite side of the field, but you love the enthusiasm from Metcalf.
DK also will be a welcome addition to the Steelers running game, especially in 12 and 13 personnel sets that Arthur Smith is fond of pic.twitter.com/m9n2Lep7Q1
— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia) March 11, 2025
Overall it’s easy to see the explosiveness and potential Metcalf brings to the Steelers offense. A player with the blend of his size and speed should fit in perfectly with Arthur Smith’s offense, especially once they find a quarterback. But I think it’d be a disservice to Steelers fans to present Metcalf as some Adonis with no flaws to his game. Watch enough Metcalf tape, and there are some flaws you might not otherwise anticipate.
But here’s the catch
Mileage may vary and how much of a problem you find this to be, but the one thing I’ve always thought kept Metcalf from being one of the game’s truly elite receivers is that despite his imposing frame, he doesn’t always play up to it. Metcalf’s game relies a lot on his speed. When he’s put in contested catch situations, he’s less efficient than you’d think. Metcalf’s highest contested catch rate as a rookie was 52.9% as a rookie, but two of his three lowest rates have occurred during the past two seasons.
Now for some of the negatives. With his size, fans may think DK is always out here Mossing dudes… but that's not really his game. pic.twitter.com/PDE1GkccxQ
— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia) March 11, 2025
That isn't to say DK can't win in traffic and on contested catches. He can, which can make it frustrating that he isn't as consistent in these scenarios pic.twitter.com/fjqmnhyOYh
— Ryan Parish (@RyanParishmedia) March 11, 2025
There will also be times where Metcalf rounds a route or doesn’t come back towards the ball, allowing the defender to make a play. He’ll also have the occasional drop, but he has drastically improved in that regard. Metcalf had a drop rate of roughly 11% in his first two seasons, but has gotten that 5.1% or lower in four of the past five seasons, including a career low 4.3% in 2024. Still, he’s not immune to concentration drops from time to time.
Final conclusions
Overall, I think the positives outweigh any negatives. Metcalf is a similar player to George Pickens, which could give the Steelers a game-tilting threat on both halves of the field, should Pittsburgh keep the duo together. Metcalf lacks some of the elasticity in Pickens' game, but they thrive on similar route concepts. I think Pickens can function in the Z receiver role if he can more consistently apply himself towards blocking, with both Pickens and Metcalf able to occasionally slide into the slot.
Both men also have reputations for fiery personalities. I find the narrative around Metcalf a little overblown. He’s picked up a few personal fouls and taunting calls during his career, but no more than a couple a season. If anything, he could be a role model to Pickens by showing him how to channel any negative energy into more constructive endeavors.
DK Metcalf learning sign language so he doesn't get fined is right up there with Kobe Bryant learning French just so he could trash talk Tony Parkerpic.twitter.com/MzTFtAm5kB
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) December 1, 2023
There’s also a chance this all blows up in the Steelers’ face if they can’t find a quarterback. Here’s hoping we don’t explore that timeline. It could be a wild one.
What do you think about the Steelers trade for DK Metcalf? Do you think he’s a good fit? A disaster waiting to happen? Let us know in the comments! And give Ryan a follow on X @RyanParishMedia
