The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the Cleveland Browns 27-6 on Sunday to improve to 6-2 and take sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Pittsburgh's defense is emerging as one of the best units in the league heading into its bye week, and the offense is finding its identity behind the rushing duo of Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle.
However, if there's one part of the Steelers' offense that has left a little to be desired, it's the passing game. Even at 42 years old, Aaron Rodgers has been perfectly serviceable, but injuries to his receiving corps and an uncharacteristic down year for Metcalf have taken a toll on his production.
On Monday, Fox's Colin Cowherd posited that it was in the Steelers' best interest to move on from Metcalf completely.
"[Steelers general manager Omar Khan] needs to cut bait with DK Metcalf," Cowherd said on The Herd. "The cap hit triples next year. He's washed. It's over. Can't play. And he's driving Aaron Rodgers nuts. Now he's getting in the way, can't catch, bobbled interception. Yeah, you got worked by John Schneider, the Seattle GM, bro. You got worked. Don't make decisions to validate choices.
"I don't know how in the world the Steelers had 21 first downs with one player on offense that's special, Jaylen Warren. I don't know how they got that many first downs. Aaron Rodgers' number one target yesterday was a 300-pound tight end that used to be an O-lineman. He's got one guy he can depend on. Michael Pittman aged much faster than I thought. He's injured now. DK Metcalf's done; can't catch, never been a route runner."
Cowherd went on to insist that moving off of Metcalf's contract was in the best interest of the organization.
"I know you have to eat like $36 million dead cap money, but, I'm gonna sound like the guy at the haunted house: Get out now," he said.
"You got to get out of that contract with DK Metcalf. Don't validate the acquisition. Get out of it. It's over. Getting in the way. Don't force Aaron to have to occasionally throw to him. Time to move on, because what this coach and this quarterback are doing with what they have right now, it's, it's, it's pretty remarkable."
The Steelers receiving corps is expected to return to full strength in the coming weeks, which should lessen the workload on Metcalf. If the veteran receiver's struggles persist after that, Khan may want to consider heeding Cowherd's advice.
The post 'He's washed. It's over, he can't play': Fox star wants Steelers to 'cut bait' with veteran despite 6-2 record appeared first on The Comeback: Today's Top Sports Stories & Reactions .
