Coming into the 2025-26 campaign, the Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of questions to answer. Most of them, predictably, are on the offensive side of the football.
With Justin Fields (and Russell Wilson) out and Aaron Rodgers in at quarterback, things will undoubtedly look different. Rodgers has some new skill position players, too, that will help him either make or break the upcoming season. Star wide receiver DK Metcalf is one of them, and there’s no shortage of variance on outlooks for his 2025.
The NFL’s stance on Metcalf isn’t exactly promising. In his annual summer survey of league executives, coaches and scouts, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler released the results of his wideout poll. Metcalf missed the top 10.
Mixed Evaluation of DK Metcalf Raises Questions Entering Season
Metcalf landed in the “honorable mention” section of the list. It’s the second July in a row that he’s missed the cut after occupying the No. 8 spot ahead of the 2023 campaign.
One league personnel evaluator Fowler spoke to delivered a mixed take on Metcalf. While he recognizes the 27-year-old’s ability to wreck a game, he isn’t sold on him being a top-flight option on a per-snap basis.
“He’s still one of the biggest matchup problems in the NFL,” the evaluator said. “He’s also still limited as a route runner in my opinion.”
Metcalf’s recent track record isn’t doing him any favors. After experiencing a sophomore breakout in 2020, Metcalf has made it back to the Pro Bowl just once. The best individual year he’s had since is that 2023 season, when he hauled in 66 passes for 1,114 yards and 8 touchdowns. Last year marked a step back, seeing him match his reception number but fail to crack 1,000 receiving yards.
Part of that can be attributed to injury. Metcalf looked downright fantastic early in the year. Between Weeks 2-4, he rattled off 21 catches for 337 yards. A knee injury limited his availability a bit – and his production a lot, it seems. He still managed to put up respectable counting stats and be a top-33 wideout in Pro Football Focus’ rankings, to be fair. With that said, the ranking and production don’t align with his price tag (fourth in average salary).
Metcalf Is Major Component of Steelers’ New-Look Offense
With the 2024 context and recent contract extension in mind, it’s hard to get a true read on Metcalf. On one hand, betting against someone with his athletic profile would be foolish. He’s potentially one healthy year away from being a Pro Bowler again. He also won’t turn 28 until December, meaning this is the thick of his athletic prime.
Fighting for depth chart positioning certainly won’t be a problem; Metcalf is head and shoulders better than the next-closest Steelers wideout. Calvin Austin III is getting buzz as a complementary piece, albeit not enough to stop anyone from still pushing for an external addition.
On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that Metcalf may have peaked early. His fit in Pittsburgh’s offense is also to-be-determined. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith loves to run the ball, but Rodgers prefers a pass-first scheme. Rodgers is also superb in the quick game, yet Metcalf is better deep down the field. The connection between those two will set the floor and raise the ceiling of the offense.
For better or worse, the Steelers are banking on a big season from Metcalf. With Super Bowl expectations, there’s a clear path for him to get plenty of attention. Whether he makes the most of it remains to be seen.
