Heading into an early bye week, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-1 and are largely feeling good about the all-in moves the franchise made this offseason. Of course, the most important move in that effort, the signing of Aaron Rodgers, is the one paying off the most.
Unfortunately, not every move has been a screaming success. After all, Pittsburgh isn’t the most confident 3-1 team in the league. Even with an early advantage in the AFC North, there are enough question marks surrounding some of the new pieces that have Steelers fans hesitant to feel comfortable about the 13 games left on the 2025 schedule.
The mixed bag results from DK Metcalf’s first month of action as a Steeler are well representative of that feeling.
DK Metcalf’s uneven start leaves the Pittsburgh Steelers on the wrong side of comparisons
Metcalf has been up and down through the first four games. His three touchdowns point to why he’s a significant piece of the offense's equation, but his lack of volume production understandably still has Yinzers cautious about believing that the Steelers were right to trade for him and then subsequently trade away George Pickens.
Because of the Steelers’ trade for Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is now the No. 1 receiver in Seattle. Due to injury, Pickens is effectively the No. 1 wideout in Dallas, for now. Stats don’t mean everything, of course, but based on the production, the Steelers are losing the fallout of the trade trifecta.
Smith-Njigba is second in the league in receiving yards. Pickens was top 10 in yards ahead of the Week 5 Thursday night matchup, and his 21 catches for 300 yards and four scores all clear Metcalf’s stat line. Both Smith-Njigba and Pickens are among the league leaders in picking up first downs through the air as well.
Metcalf does win out on a few comparisons. His yards per reception and per target are comfortably ahead of both, though Metcalf is only one of three players with an 80+ yard reception so far this season.
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It’s still early in the year, but so far Seattle looks better off without Metcalf, and Pickens looks better off without Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Metcalf isn’t exactly flourishing without a reliable WR2 target to take some of the pressure off. Granted, the Steelers offense isn’t built for one player to eat up volume receptions like Seattle’s, nor does it open up the passing game as much as Dallas, where three players have more targets than Metcalf.
Still, Week 4 in Dublin highlighted that even when Metcalf has a huge day, it’s tough for him to dominate an entire game. Pittsburgh has tried to lean on Metcalf’s strengths after the catch, but they can’t exactly run a screen to him on every drive and expect to be successful.
While Pittsburgh tries to brush off the need for a WR2 because of the production from the tight ends, the highest-paid player on the offense isn’t producing at a comparable level as a result. Metcalf’s struggles aren’t all his own, but it’s no less frustrating to see those affected by his move to Pittsburgh flourish as a result.