DK Metcalf is an EXCITING Addition to the Steelers Offense (Reviewing his 2024 Season)
As I’m sure we’re all aware, the Pittsburgh Steelers did something out of character recently; they paid top dollar for a player that wasn’t wearing the black and gold in the previous season. Omar Khan spared no expense, and sent a 2nd-round pick in 2025 (as well as a late round pick swap) to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for wide receiver DK Metcalf, then immediately signed him to a 5-year, $150 million contract. We, as fans, are all frustrated with the quarterback debacle that we’ve dealt with for the last…well…while, but if you’ve watched any football in the last 6 years, then you probably cheered about as loudly as I did when news about this trade hit your algorithm.
At 27 years old, this freakish athlete is in his physical prime, and figures to make a significant impact for the Steelers INSTANTLY, even if Mason Rudolph (welcome back, pal) is the starting quarterback this season. In lieu of this news, I decided to familiarize myself with our newly acquired receiver, and comb over his final season in Seattle.
The thing about DK Metcalf that excites football junkies like myself: as a receiver, he is bigger, stronger, and faster than ANYONE that lines up to defend him…and I mean anyone in the league. You wanna line up in press? Good luck jamming him or knocking him off his route. You wanna sag off? He’ll catch the underneath route and run through your chest. And, regardless of where and how you line up, he has game-breaking speed to run right past you anyway. I’m actually not exaggerating when I say that he is the most physically gifted wide receiver that I’ve ever seen.
This play right here is a prime example of what everyone has always known Metcalf has in his bag: home-run-threat-ability. The Dolphins have two high safeties on this play, and DK runs right through the zone(s), cuts inside (post route) then cuts back out (corner route), shaking Jevon Holland (who is a very good safety) out of his damn cleats. Geno Smith kinda underthrew this ball, but it didn’t end up mattering. Metcalf is way too fast, and that’s a 71-yard touchdown on the first play of that particular drive. With Metcalf, I feel like it’s best to keep his route tree pretty simple, but this double-move was too sick to not include in this post.
The following week, @ Detroit, DK gave us this absolute gem of a catch. That’s Carlton Davis he’s operating against. Bear in mind, Carlton Davis is 6’1, and he looks like a toddler trying to guard DK. What I love so much about this play is that DK knows how much bigger he is, and he uses it to his advantage. You can clearly see at the end that Carlton Davis thinks DK pushed off of him, but watch it back closer…DK never extended that arm. Instead, he drops the arm, and almost boxes Carlton Davis out with his hip like an NBA center and did so in a way that Davis had absolutely no shot at playing the ball. Then, of course, the toe tap on the sideline. That’s some elite shit right there against one of the better corners in the league.
This next play against San Fran, I included, because I thought this play really highlights the speed that this dude plays with. I can’t tell if that’s supposed to be a slant or a shallow cross, but whatever the case, a human being as large as him shouldn’t be able to accelerate like that. Unlike the TD against the Dolphins, he was eventually chased down, because he ran out of field to work with, but of all his catches in 2024, I thought this was the one that best showcases just how fast he truly is. And, no…I did not speed that video up at any point. Unreal.
This play @ NYJ is going to be familiar to yinzers, but not because it’s one I expect them to have seen before. It should seem familiar, because this, to me, is George Picken’s specialty. Just a simple go-route against press-man coverage, and DK is able to maintain his speed, track the ball, and then (and this is the important part) the late hands to haul in the moonball. The corner really has no chance to play the ball, because he has no idea when and if it’s coming. G.P. has made a killing with those late-hand grabs, and the fact that we’re set to have two guys on the field AT THE SAME DAMN TIME with that kinda ability is going to make a world of difference for us on offense, because teams are no longer going to be able to load the box up with bodies to stop us from running. It’s, literally, going to open up a world of opportunity for our offense, and I fully expect OC Arthur Smith to find ways to exploit that regardless of who we have as RB1, RB2, and RB3 this season.
As much fun as it has been highlighting all the fantastic things that DK Metcalf is capable of…there is a reason (or, rather, there are reasons) that the Seattle Seahawks were willing to part ways with him. I already briefly mentioned that I think, with him, it’s best to keep the route tree pretty simple. It felt like, watching his tape, I watched the same 4-or-so routes over and over and over and over again. Slants/Crossers. Posts/Gos. There’s not a whole lot else that he does with any consistency. He’s got the speed and the quick feet, but he’s just not a guy that’s going to get a ton of separation on a regular basis. And, just to build on that thought, once the ball is in his hands, he’s not one to string together moves and make guys miss. His game is, largely, predicated on ‘I’m going to run right past you or right through you.’ That’s ok, because he’s elite at doing those things, and he did it to the tune of 992 yards in 15 games last season. With that being said, I do think he can be schemed out of games, because he’s lacking, somewhat, in versatility.
This, right here, though, is where things can get pretty frustrating with DK Metcalf’s game. Every once in a while, he’s going to put the ball on the ground. Since he came into the league in 2019, DK has fumbled the ball 9 times. If you happen to click the link I provided with that statement for context, you’ll notice that most of the names on that list that have fumbled the ball more than him in that span are kick returners. So, if you take the kick/punt returners off that list, DK would be tied for the most fumbles by any WR since 2019. In my opinion, it’s a concentration problem with him. I only say that, because, while watching his 2024 film, I saw a few drops that could only be explained as concentration drops. With that being said, Fox Sports only credited him with 4 drops on the year, so take that with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, he struggles to hold on to the football.
On top of fumbling the ball more than just about anyone, he’s also among the most penalized WRs in the NFL. Most of the flags against him come on holds during run plays, which is weird when you think about how much bigger he is than just about every corner in the league. He’s a willing blocker. I’d even go as far as to say that he’s a good blocker. But, he’s an undisciplined blocker and it has cost his team in the past. Interestingly enough, in 2024, he tied with…..wait for it…….George Pickens for the third most penalties (among WRs) in the league with 5 of them going against him. I’m sure most uh yinz have seen the memes about G.P. and Metcalf being on the field at the same time and what that would look like…and while those are obviously gross exaggerations, there’s a layer of accuracy to them as well. They both have a history of crashing out, and when that happens, concentration and discipline often go out the window with both of them. I have no doubts that our team is better with both of them on it, and specifically in 2025, our offense is going to go where those two take us. And, make no mistake about it, I’m absolutely THRILLED that DK Metcalf is a Steeler, and I’ll have his jersey in my closet before the first preseason game kicks off in August. With that being said, it’s going to take a Mike Tomlin masterclass to keep a lid on the two strong personalities that will now, essentially, run our offense. Should be fun to watch!
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