The Pittsburgh Steelers had many new players make their debuts last Sunday against the New York Jets to start the 2025 NFL season. QB Aaron Rodgers played his first game for the organization. TE Jonnu Smith did the same, scoring his first touchdown with the team. Big-time free agent acquisition WR DK Metcalf joined the list of Steelers debuting, as well.
While Metcalf did not catch a touchdown like Smith or impress like Rodgers did, he still played a crucial role in the 34-32 win. Rodgers targeted him seven times, and Metcalf had four catches for 83 yards. On Thursday, Check The Mic with Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson looked at the Steelers’ Week 2 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Palazzolo is curious to see how the Steelers use Metcalf after they didn’t target him downfield like many expected. But Monson thinks that the Steelers may have been on to something.
“It is kind of fun, though, seeing him deployed in a different way,” Monson said. “You get reminded that, yeah, his skill set definitely plays more for a relatively limited vertical route tree. But, with that size and speed, he’s a terrifying matchup anytime you get the ball in his hands… If you can get him the ball, he’s a nightmare to stop. Even if he does get open enough on a dig route over the middle, if you can get him the ball, suddenly now a cornerback or a safety over the middle is dealing with this dude in full flight who can run borderline elite sprinter-type speeds. He’s a nightmare.”
Last Sunday may have been a revenge game for Aaron Rodgers versus the Jets, but this Sunday could be a revenge game for DK Metcalf against the Seahawks. He played his first six seasons in Seattle. As Monson implied, the Seahawks often used Metcalf as a downfield threat. In six seasons, Metcalf averaged 10.3 yards before the catch per reception and only 4.1 yards after the catch.
Last Sunday, Metcalf averaged only 3.8 yards before the catch per reception. But he averaged a staggering 17 yards after the catch per reception. Rather than attack the Jets deep with Metcalf, they utilized Metcalf’s side and speed with quick routes. And it worked quite well. Metcalf averaged 20.8 yards per catch, and he did that with the ball in his hands for most of those yards. He’s a size mismatch against smaller corners, but he can fly by linebackers and safeties with his speed.
Yes, we are used to seeing DK Metcalf win vertically with speed and size. I fully expect we will see that later this season. But against the Jets, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith opted to feed his size and speed with quick passes. And it was quite effective.
HUGE play DK #Steelers pic.twitter.com/ssRRezcUjA
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) September 7, 2025
Steelers LS Christian Kuntz likened DK Metcalf to “a semi with a Hemi in it.” Metcalf is a bear to tackle due to his size. But, like on that screen pass, he can simply fly by defenders for a chunk of yards at a time. That’s a terrifying combo for defenders trying to tackle Metcalf. Perhaps the Steelers have found out that Metcalf can effectively attack defenses in both the short game and the deep game. That should give corners and defensive coordinators even more nightmares than before.
