The D.K. Metcalf trade provides Pittsburgh the star receiver they’ve been missing

Who’s playing quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers next season?

It’s a question, as I write this article on Monday night, that remains a mystery. Maybe the team will take a flyer on Aaron Rodgers. Maybe they’ll run it back with Russell Wilson. Maybe it will be a player no one is talking about, like Derek Carr or Kyler Murray. Or maybe, just maybe, it will be someone not yet in the NFL, like Jaxson Dart.

No one seems to know.

No such mystery exists at wide receiver. Specifically, at WR1, or “Wide Receiver 1,” meaning the team’s go-to player at the position. Pittsburgh has lacked such a target since the Antonio Brown era. Juju Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, and George Pickens have all tried to man the role since Brown’s exit, but none could do so adequately. All three were limited in some capacity — Smith-Schuster by his moderate game speed, Johnson by his failure to play hard when he wasn’t the primary target, and Pickens by his limited route tree and temperamental disposition. They were all fine players, but better suited for a complimentary role.

That changed on Sunday when Omar Khan shocked the football world by landing Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf. Pittsburgh sent a 2nd Round pick in this year’s draft, and the two teams executed a late-round pick swap, to ship Metcalf across the country. He immediately signed a five-year, $150 million contract with the Steelers that makes him one of just six receivers in league history to earn at least $30 million annually.

Metcalf, 27, has produced at least 900 receiving yards in all six of his NFL seasons. He has three seasons of 1,000+ yards, and has caught at least 75 passes three times. His career average of 14.4 yards per reception is lower than Pickens’ mark of 16.3, but Metcalf is a more complete receiver. He runs a deeper route tree, is a better red zone target, and can line up anywhere in the offensive formation. Metcalf is a good blocker as well, and brings a nasty disposition to the Pittsburgh receiving room. If Pickens stays in Pittsburgh, which is a matter of debate these days, he and Metcalf would form one of the biggest, most physical receiving duos in the league.

The scheme advantages of adding Metcalf to Pittsburgh’s lineup are many. With Metcalf and, presumably, Pickens outside, defenses would be forced into a steady diet of two-high coverage shells to protect against the ability of Metcalf and Pickens to beat single coverage down the field. This would alleviate one of the biggest problems the offense has encountered in recent years, which is defenses loading the box to stop the run. Getting equal numbers in the box would be a boon to the run game, which remains the heart-and-soul of Pittsburgh’s attack.

Metcalf is also excellent against press coverage, because his size (6’4-230) and physicality allow him to shrug off smaller corners and win inside on slant and dig routes. In compressed formations, he can block linebackers in the box. And when he operates out of the slot, he is simply too big for most nickel corners (picture Metcalf matched up against Pittsburgh’s Beanie Bishop). Metcalf has sure hands — he was credited with just five drops last season — and had 20 explosive plays of 20+ yards, which was a career high. The Steelers are getting an elite receiver in his prime and have him under contract for the next five seasons. That’s hard not to like.

Now, if he just had a quarterback to throw him the football…

For my video breakdown of Metcalf in action, check out the link below. And for all breaking Steelers news and analysis, and news on football in general, follow me on Twitter @KTSmithFFSN, and check out my podcast “The Call Sheet,” which runs every Monday-Friday at 10 AM.

Editor’s Note: Due to Twitter’s embed feature not working at the moment, you can see coach’s breakdown by clicking HERE.