Media reports suggest the Steelers are among the teams that have looked into trading for Brian Thomas or Josh Downs. I wonder if that’s an indication they’re losing confidence in DK Metcalf.
Pittsburgh is just over a year removed from trading a second-round pick for Metcalf, then signing him to a five-year deal worth $150 million. But he hasn’t really launched for them. He finished with only 850 yards last year.
The Steelers are 6-2 this year, but Metcalf has been even worse, with 33 catches for 378 yards and a touchdown at the halfway point of the season. That’s an average of 4.1 catches for 47 yards per week – not $30 million per year production.
He’s been particularly bad around the goal line. Three weeks in a row (against the Bucs, Saints and Browns), they’ve tried to throw him fade routes around the goal line, and none of the balls seemed close to being completed. The Steelers have been more effective in that part of the field throwing to tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, who’ve combined 5 short-range touchdowns.
Granted, we’re talking about small sample size numbers here. Tetairoa McMillan, George Pickens and Jakobi Meyers, among others, have put up numbers similar to Metcalf so far. But it hasn’t looked good.
Below, see the list of all 53 players with at least 3 targets inside the 10 so far. (The two busiest such players, oddly, both come from the same 3-5 team – Michael Wilson and Trey McBride).
| PLAYERS WITH 3-PLUS TARGETS INSIDE THE 10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | Com | TD | EZ% |
| Michael Wilson, Ari. | 12 | 2 | 1 | 8% |
| Trey McBride, Ari. | 10 | 7 | 4 | 40% |
| Sam LaPorta, Det. | 8 | 4 | 2 | 25% |
| George Kittle, S.F. | 7 | 5 | 1 | 14% |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown, Det. | 6 | 4 | 3 | 50% |
| Brock Bowers, L.V. | 6 | 3 | 2 | 33% |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sea. | 6 | 2 | 2 | 33% |
| Jakobi Meyers, Jac. | 6 | 1 | 1 | 17% |
| CeeDee Lamb, Dall. | 5 | 3 | 3 | 60% |
| Jameson Williams, Det. | 5 | 3 | 3 | 60% |
| Devaughn Vele, N.O. | 5 | 3 | 3 | 60% |
| Juwan Johnson, N.O. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 60% |
| Ja'Marr Chase, Cin. | 5 | 4 | 2 | 40% |
| Matthew Golden, G.B. | 5 | 3 | 2 | 40% |
| Tetairoa McMillan, Car. | 5 | 1 | 1 | 20% |
| Denzel Boston, Cle. | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Kyle Pitts, Atl. | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Stefon Diggs, Was. | 4 | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| Mike Gesicki, Cin. | 4 | 3 | 3 | 75% |
| Nate Adkins, Den. | 4 | 3 | 3 | 75% |
| Christian Watson, G.B. | 4 | 3 | 3 | 75% |
| • Darnell Washington, Pitt. | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50% |
| Emeka Egbuka, T.B. | 4 | 3 | 2 | 50% |
| Khalil Shakir, Buff. | 4 | 2 | 1 | 25% |
| Jalen Coker, Car. | 4 | 3 | 1 | 25% |
| Keenan Allen, Ind. | 4 | 2 | 1 | 25% |
| • DK Metcalf, Pitt. | 4 | 1 | 1 | 25% |
| Deebo Samuel, S.F. | 4 | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Colston Loveland, Chi. | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| George Pickens, Dall. | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Parker Washington, Jac. | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| Foster Moreau, Hou. | 3 | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| • Pat Freiermuth, Pitt. | 3 | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| Harold Fannin, Cle. | 3 | 2 | 2 | 67% |
| Ryan Flournoy, Dall. | 3 | 2 | 2 | 67% |
| Tyler Warren, Ind. | 3 | 2 | 2 | 67% |
| Kenneth Walker, K.C. | 3 | 3 | 2 | 67% |
| Davis Allen, LAR | 3 | 3 | 2 | 67% |
| T.J. Hockenson, Min. | 3 | 3 | 2 | 67% |
| Darius Cooper, Phi. | 3 | 2 | 2 | 67% |
| Mike Evans, S.F. | 3 | 2 | 2 | 67% |
| Wan'Dale Robinson, Ten. | 3 | 2 | 2 | 67% |
| Rachaad White, Was. | 3 | 2 | 2 | 67% |
| Mark Andrews, Balt. | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33% |
| Luther Burden, Chi. | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33% |
| Jake Ferguson, Dall. | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33% |
| Oronde Gadsden, LAC | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33% |
| Kyren Williams, LAR | 3 | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| Colby Parkinson, LAR | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33% |
| Puka Nacua, LAR | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33% |
| Kevin Coleman, Mia. | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33% |
| Hunter Henry, N.E. | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33% |
| Quinshon Judkins, Cle. | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0% |
Metcalf’s struggles haven’t been limited to goal-line work. He also had a ugly drop on a downfield ball yesterday that ended up being intercepted. Analyst Alex Smith (the former quarterback) says he believes Metcalf has simply slipped.
“I'm sorry, he looks like a shell of himself,” Smith says. “This guy cannot separate anymore. He can't pull away on a go route. Can't pull away on a slant. At some point, I think Aaron's going to stop looking that way.”
Adam Thielen (who played in Pittsburgh last year) has a more nuanced take. It’s his opinion that Metcalf doesn’t fit the team’s offense.
“What Aaron likes is he likes to have guys just line up and play football,” Thielen said. “We’re not going to move him around. We’re not going to put him in the slot. We’re not going to motion him. We just want to line up and go win.DK is not that guy. He’s not a guy you just put out there at the X, and it’s third and five, and you go win, right? And you’re seeing that on the tape. You’re seeing that it’s he’s looking for him. He wants him, but he’s not open. And that’s okay. Some guys just aren’t that guy. You got to be able to move them around. You got to be able to put them in stacks. You got to be able to motion them. But he’s not that guy right now in this offense.”
Whatever the reason, Metcalf hasn’t been great, and it’s not looking like he’s going to evolve into an elite-level receiver this year. That may be what’s driving the Steelers to look into the likes of Downs and Thomas. With the Steelers looking pretty certain to be a playoff team, they’ve got a half season left to further develop their offense.
—Ian Allan
