If there's one thing that general manager Omar Khan taught us this offseason, it's that these are not your father's Pittsburgh Steelers . The organization made several splash moves, including trading for defensive back Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith , but their largest investment was actually made on the offensive side of the ball. By trading for and subsequently extending DK Metcalf, the team was banking on the two-time Pro Bowler being the alpha that could take this passing game to another level. So far, the results have been fairly underwhelming for a number of different reasons, which are worth discussing in great detail.
Over the first three weeks of the season, Metcalf is averaging just 45 receiving yards per game, a 30% decrease from his career to date. Admittedly, we are working with extremely small sample sizes in September, and he hauled in a pair of touchdowns in tight windows near the goal line. One of the pros to his professional profile is that his season-long production has been remarkably consistent, partially due to how the 6-foot-4, 230-pound freak takes care of his body in the offseason, leading to him being available for all but three games during his time in Seattle . But after forking up a second-round draft pick and a $150M contract extension, the Steelers are looking for more than just consistency—they're expecting greatness.
This move was a swing for the fences, not typically associated with the Steelers' way of doing business. By doing this, the franchise was making a bet that there was untapped potential just waiting to be unlocked in a new environment, one orchestrated by offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Thus far, the process and execution are equally as confusing.
One change to Metcalf's deployment has been their obvious desire to get the ball in his hands quickly off the snap via screens, RPO's and underneath routes. He's always been big, fast, and capable of powering through tackling attempts from smaller defenders, but the Seahawks never seemed to make this a priority earlier in his career. The results on those plays have been positive, with the best example coming against the Jets in week one, where Metcalf made someone miss before scampering to a 31-yard gain that was virtually all created on his own accord. On that play, he hit 21.25 MPH, the sixth-fastest time of any ball carrier this season, according to Next Gen Stats .
The addition of those quick hitters certainly makes sense on the surface, but the absence of big plays down the field makes you scratch your head. Despite missing two games last season due to injury, Metcalf still led all NFL receivers in receptions of 20+ air yards, hauling in half of his 32 targets. In 2025, he has as many targets behind the line of scrimmage (2) as he does deeper down the field, and his 7.9 ADOT is virtually half of where his career mark lies (13.3). Even though he doesn't run as complex of a route tree as other WR1s around the league, he's been one of the game's premier explosive play generators since he stepped foot on a professional field. In order to maximize him as a player and use his gravity to open things up for others underneath, the Steelers have to be much more intentional when it comes to giving him those vertical chances.
Perhaps the most confusing element of all of this has been how little separation he's been getting on the perimeter thus far. Even dating back to his days at Ole Miss, Metcalf's been a destroyer of worlds against press-man coverage with his best routes being fades and slants. The early slate of cornerbacks ( Sauce Gardner , Tariq Woolen and Carlton Davis ) on the schedule has been tough without a doubt, but that's the life of being the primary engine of a passing game, especially one without an established running mate on the opposite side. Over the first three contests, Metcalf isn't moving guys off their spot in press with his releases and isn't clearing contact very well with his hands through the stem, allowing guys to stay sticky with him through the rep. No one would confuse him for a route-running savant, but he's never really had an issue getting open until now.
It's not that difficult to talk yourself into this being a mere blip on the radar, and odds are Metcalf will be able to work himself back into form over time. That onus falls squarely on his shoulders, too. This scheme isn't doing him, or anyone else quite frankly, any favors. It's a really static offense that doesn't use a lot of motion, intentional route combinations, or creative formations to create advantages. Whether Arthur Smith or Aaron Rodgers has more input on the shotgun passing game can be debated, but both of them subscribe to similar ideologies when it comes to pre-snap movement. Time has told us that this will be an ecosystem that is heavily reliant on iso-ball and having more 1v1 talent. Forecasting changes in philosophies on the fly, while definitely possible, isn't something anyone should be banking on to take place.
The good news is that Metcalf can, and most likely will, play better than he has in his debut for his new squad. In order for the Steelers to earn a seat at the table among serious Super Bowl contenders, they need to evolve into a top-10 offense. For that to happen, they're going to need #4 to get back to playing like himself and take his game to a new level to overcome the constraints that exist within Pittsburgh's offensive scheme and personnel challenges. That's no easy feat, but when you're given a $150M deal, expectations are going to be justifiably high. We'll see if he can live up to them.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Why Haven't Steelers Gotten More Out of DK Metcalf?
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