Slants are back. That’s what should be expected from QB Aaron Rodgers. Specifically, to his favorite target WR DK Metcalf. It’s no secret Pittsburgh has developed a reputation for not throwing over the middle. Without getting into every weed of that conversation, the data is clear that quick-hitting slants haven’t been part of the playbook. That’s going to change.
Thanks to data provided by our Clayton Eckert, here’s the number of slants attempted and completed over the past two seasons. Pittsburgh ranks near the bottom.
#### Slants Attempted/Completed (2023-2024)
**_Team_**
**_Att_**
**_Comp_**
Cowboys
112
73
Browns
105
67
Jets
93
56
Raiders
92
62
Giants
88
62
Texans
84
56
Bengals
82
57
Chargers
81
56
Patriots
80
49
Buccaneers
79
51
Dolphins
74
48
Colts
73
47
Eagles
70
53
Falcons
70
48
Saints
69
48
Commanders
68
46
Bills
66
48
Panthers
63
38
49ers
62
38
Rams
61
40
Cardinals
60
34
Chiefs
58
38
Packers
58
39
Seahawks
55
29
Broncos
54
33
Lions
52
38
Titans
50
30
Ravens
47
27
**Steelers**
**47**
**25**
Jaguars
38
27
Vikings
38
23
Bears
31
21
In attempts, Pittsburgh tied for 28th with 47. In completions, the Steelers rank 30th with only 25. That comes out to 1.38 slants attempted per game. The NFL average is two. In 2024 with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the Steelers only threw 17 of them. _Literally,_ one per game. It’s become so foreign that the last time we wrote an article with “slant” in the headline was December 2023 when [WR George Pickens made an early house call](https://steelersdepot.com/2023/12/watch-george-pickens-takes-slant-route-86-yards-for-games-opening-touchdown/) against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rodgers and Metcalf will flip those numbers. The Steelers might not finish first, but they’ll rise up the rankings. During training camp, Rodgers peppered Metcalf with them. Anytime Metcalf was isolated 3×1 as the backside X-receiver with the cornerback having outside leverage, Rodgers was looking for Metcalf inside. Even though Metcalf isn’t regarded as an elite short-area route runner, his run-after-catch ability is impressive. Rodgers trusts him to make those plays.
Separating the data by year, Rodgers and the Jets were among last year’s leaders in slants. New York threw 55 attempts with 35 completions a year ago. Rodgers, who accounted for over 96-percent of the team’s pass attempts, was responsible for virtually all of them.
Over the past two seasons, the only teams to throw more slants in a single season than last year’s Jets are the 2023 Dallas Cowboys (63) and 2024 Cleveland Browns (67).
How effective these outcomes are remains to be seen. Though Rodgers threw plenty of slants last season, none of his 28 touchdowns from a year ago came off that route. But it’s another way to open up and vary the Steelers’ offense. Mike Tomlin has shown past hesitation to throwing over the middle, but Rodgers should be given more chances than the quarterbacks before him.