If you were disappointed that the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't come away with a wide receiver at the NFL trade deadline, don't be. This team has far greater issues than trying to supplant Calvin Austin or Roman Wilson on offense. The harsh reality is that there would have never been enough targets to go around anyway.
And I'm not being a rabble-rouser here; it's the truth. Entering Week 10 of the 2025 season, no Steelers wide receiver ranks inside the top 50 in the NFL in targets.
You heard that right.
To be fair, Metcalf ranks 50th on the dot with 47 targets this year, per ESPN stats. But that's just 5.8 targets per game... for a player the Steelers traded a second-round pick for and paid $32.9 million per season on a new extension in 2025.
There's no reason for an egregious stat like this, and it points to the biggest underlying problem in Pittsburgh's passing game this season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must get DK Metcalf more involved on offense
There's nothing wrong with spreading the football around. That's what good quarterbacks are supposed to do... at least, when they're finding open players and they don't have a go-to option in the passing game. When it comes to the Steelers, however, they have one weapon who is the most talented and the priciest on their team. But he's not seeing the football nearly enough.
To put Metcalf's 47 targets this season into perspective, Texans tight end Dalton Shultz has more looks in as many games this season. Other NFL players with more targets include Browns rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr., Titans rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, and Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin—among many other players who are less talented than Metcalf.
In Pittsburgh's Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Metcalf earned just four targets for six yards. Not only is Aaron Rodgers having trouble finding his best weapon with the football, but Steelers' offensive coordinator Arthur Smith isn't putting Metcalf in a position to succeed with routes that offer big-play potential after the catch.
Thankfully, Metcalf insists that he doesn't care about the lack of targets he's received in the passing game. (If he did, we might have another George Pickens situation on our hands.) However, the disgraceful lack of opportunity for Pittsburgh's best pass-catcher needs to end.
There's no universe where Giants' WR Wan'Dale Robinson should have 21 more targets than Metcalf halfway through the season.
For those who were begging for the Steelers to go out and trade for Jakobi Meyers or Rashid Shaheed before the deadline, this should offer some relief. The answer is simple: the Pittsburgh Steelers need to get DK Metcalf the ball more often. Period.