DK Metcalf and Aaron Rodgers are the shiny new toys for Arthur Smith to work with. As training camp nears the end of its second week, Metcalf and Rodgers have slowly been growing the chemistry they need for the offense to reach its full potential. Speaking after Thursday’s practice, Metcalf mentioned some of the early differences Rodgers is making for him.
“Just the way I’m viewing the defense,” Metcalf said, via Post-Gazette Sports. “I’m looking at down linemen now, looking at the safety rotation, looking at my route adjustments. Just all those little things that I maybe took for granted before, just trying to see the whole field at this point in my career. Trying to see how he views the defense, from his point of view.”
When it comes to reading a defense, many fans assume it’s only the quarterback’s job to do so. Yet, every position must be able to read the defense at some level, from the offensive line to the backfield, including receivers like Metcalf. For example, if the defense is in zone coverage, both the quarterback and receiver need to know which coverage it is, so they know where the open area to sit down in their route is. If those two aren’t on the same page, it leads to miscommunications and errant throws.
Some things Metcalf mentions, like the safety rotations, are things he would need to mentally note playing with Rodgers, who certainly expects his receivers to be in a certain place at a certain time. See Mike Williams last year as an example.
These two had something of a slow start to camp, but they’ve made progress since. On Wednesday, the defense got the best of the offense throughout the team period. Metcalf and the offense seemed to come out with some fire Thursday, and Metcalf himself was involved in a dustup. However, the connection between Metcalf and Rodgers specifically had some nice moments today. That included a 55-yard bomb for a touchdown between the two and another 13-yard completion later. Our Alex Kozora noted the connection looked “strong” today.
It’s a connection that will have to keep looking that way for the Steelers to succeed offensively. There’s not a ton of depth at receiver and a lot of youth on the offensive line. No matter how creative the Steelers get with their tight ends, it’s going to be hard to get much going without the Rodgers and Metcalf connection looking good. The good news is they’re already making some progress, but they have a long way to go before the season starts.
