Most No. 1 receivers in the NFL average about seven or eight targets per game. That hasn’t been the case for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ $31 million man. DK Metcalf is currently 50th in the league in total targets, trailing even three running backs and eight tight ends. That’s a recipe for disaster for some wide receivers and their famously tricky personalities, but Metcalf has handled it like a total professional.
He addressed his lack of targets when asked during Wednesday’s media availability.
“Y’all may get frustrated with that shit. We don’t. We just trying to win,” Metcalf said via the team website.
Sure, that’s a borderline programmed response. Very few players are going to say how they really feel about a perceived lack of targets. But I get the sense Metcalf actually means it. You need look no further than his effort when the ball isn’t coming his way.
Not every receiver gives a full effort as a blocker out in space. Even fewer drive their guys 25 yards out of bounds through the whistle. Metcalf did that with a little over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of a two-possession game in which he only caught two of his four targets for six yards.
He didn’t check out of plays early or lose interest in the game due to a lack of involvement, like some of the Steelers’ recent No. 1 WRs of the past. And Metcalf says that attitude extends to the entire WR room in Pittsburgh.
“Once you put in the work and the time during the offseason, and even during the week, [and] training camp, you gotta respect the guys who are getting targets,” Metcalf said. “From the moment that I’ve gotten here, everybody’s worked their butts off. So everybody rightfully deserves a shot at the ball.”
To be fair, Metcalf doesn’t need to be worried about producing in a contract year like many other receivers may have to. He just signed one of the most lucrative WR contracts in the league. But the Steelers were comfortable giving him that payday and tying themselves to him through 2029 for a reason. He leads by example and carries himself like a professional from the opening kickoff until the final whistle.
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