There were high expectations surrounding DK Metcalf’s first season as a Pittsburgh Steeler. Expectations that were largely unmet. It wasn’t all his fault, as he saw plenty of brackets and double teams with little help from the rest of his position group. But on his own, Metcalf wasn’t able to maintain much consistency, which raised concerns for some.
However, he now has a new running mate in Michael Pittman Jr., whom Pittsburgh traded for this week. They’re the same age, and each has plenty of NFL experience, with a lot of Pittman’s work coming in the intermediate game in recent years. Fortunately, that’s something that will help DK Metcalf, according to former NFL receiver Steve Smith Sr.
“I see DK benefitting from a Michael Pittman Jr. playing on the outside, because they’re running outside, totally different routes. But it gives them opportunity, and it plays into what Aaron Rodgers does,” Smith said Friday on his 89 show with James Palmer. “He’s [Aaron Rodgers] always had that go-to guy, intermediate, short, and then the deep threat. And I believe that DK can get back to being the deep threat, and allowing Michael Pittman Jr. to do all of the things that are intermediate.”
Pittman was once the go-to man himself in Indianapolis, finishing with over 1,100 yards as recently as 2023. But the emergence of Alec Pierce, as well as Tyler Warren in 2025, started to eat into his role.
In 2024, Pittman’s average depth of target was 11.0 yards, and that dropped to just 8.2 in 2025. He also only ran an average of 6.6 yards before each reception. Those numbers were drastically different for Pierce. His average depth of target was 18.9 yards, and he ran an average of 17.6 yards before his receptions.
It’s not wrong for the Colts to do that, Pierce being much more capable as a deep threat. But while Pittman does want to expand his role in Pittsburgh, he also understands how to work in the short game. He’s physical to get off press coverage, makes tough catches, and runs good routes to help him get open quickly. All things Aaron Rodgers, who doesn’t want to hold on to the ball, would like.
That’s going to force defenses to take attention away from Pittman, helping DK Metcalf in the process. He has the ability to take the top off the defense, but wasn’t able to take advantage of it last year. Rodgers wasn’t holding onto the ball, and Metcalf was rarely in man coverage without help over the top. When he was, the Steelers looked to him, and it worked.
DK Metcalf caught a bit of flak for the way his 2025 season went. And some of that is deserved, as he had some big mistakes down the home stretch of the season. But really, the offense as a whole limited how dynamic he could be. With Pittman working on the other side and perhaps another speedy receiver on the way, Metcalf should have more of a chance to flash his playmaking ability in 2026.
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