The Pittsburgh Steelers made a big move earlier this offseason, acquiring WR DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks. Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is a big fan of the move. On his Footbahlin podcast, Roethlisberger said it was an unorthodox move from Pittsburgh, but one they needed.
“To do something like that was kind of unorthodox to the Steelers in a sense…which was awesome. Five for $150 [million] for the Pittsburgh Steelers- that’s unheard of outside the building. But for a guy that, it was evident they needed a dude, and they got a dude, and now you got two dudes.”
Roethlisberger then quipped about the Steelers’ quarterback search.
“You just gotta get somebody to get the dudes the ball.”
Acquiring Metcalf and pairing him with George Pickens gives the Steelers one of the best receiver tandems in the league, reminiscent of some of the duos Roethlisberger played with during his time in Pittsburgh. From Plaxico Burress and Hines Ward to Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace to Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, Roethlisberger always had two talented receivers for most of his career.
That hasn’t been a luxury for quarterbacks post-Roethlisberger (nor did Roethlisberger toward the end of his tenure), but whoever winds up playing quarterback for the Steelers this season should have two talented downfield weapons to make plays, assuming the Steelers keep Pickens.
It is certainly unorthodox for the Steelers to make a splashy trade, and the contract was even more surprising given the team broke precedent by guaranteeing money beyond the first year in a deal that didn’t reset his market. But the Steelers have been actively looking for a top receiver via trade over the last year, and they finally landed their guy in Metcalf.
As for who will throw him the football, Aaron Rodgers has been the guy that the Steelers have been focusing on and pursuing. He threw with Metcalf at UCLA, potentially getting acquainted with his future teammate. Roethlisberger said he thinks Rodgers will wind up in Pittsburgh, and the four-time MVP should be excited about Pittsburgh’s newest weapon.
With Metcalf and Pickens in the fold, Pittsburgh’s passing game should take a leap, especially if they sign Rodgers, and it’s going to be fun to watch two guys who have the ability to be number one receivers work alongside each other.
Roethlisberger said that Metcalf is a No. 1 guy.
“We got two number ones now.”
Pittsburgh’s offense should be improved over last year, which was likely a focus after the offense’s struggles toward the end of the season. The acquisition of DK Metcalf has the potential to make Pittsburgh’s passing game legitimately good, which hasn’t been the case over a sustained period of time in years.
