The Pittsburgh Steelers may have another wide receiver issue on their hands heading into Week 6.
DK Metcalf was listed as questionable for the team’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of an illness on the final injury report. It’s not an injury, which at least softens the long-term concern, but it still adds another layer of uncertainty to a position group that is already hanging by a thread.
Metcalf had not shown up on either of the first two injury reports this week before being listed as a non-participant on October 16. Through the season so far, he has 19 receptions for 225 yards and a touchdown.
Pittsburgh’s receiver room is already badly shorthanded for this game. Michael Pittman Jr. is on injured reserve with a foot injury, which means the earliest he can return is Week 10 after the team’s Week 9 bye. Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek are also out against Tampa Bay after both went down with their injuries in the first half of the Steelers’ Week 5 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
So now it becomes a waiting game for Metcalf before kickoff at Raymond James Stadium. There’s still a chance he plays, but if he doesn’t, the Steelers will be forced to adjust on the fly.
That would leave Germie Bernard as the top option at the position, and he proved he can handle a bigger role in a pinch with six catches for 80 yards against Indianapolis.
Beyond Metcalf and Bernard, Kaden Wetjen is the only other receiver currently on the 53-man roster. Even so, there isn’t much evidence that head coach Mike McCarthy is ready to lean on the fourth-round rookie on offense just yet.
“Well, he’s hasn’t gotten a lot of work as far as our primary game plan and things like that, but he’s developing. He’s out here every day working, so as far as how we use him so forth, we’ll let the games dictate that,” McCarthy said this week.
If Metcalf is unable to go, Pittsburgh may lean more heavily on 12 personnel than it originally planned and could also turn to the practice squad for help. Brandon Smith, Brandon Johnson and/or Isaiah Hodgins are all possibilities, along with the chance of another roster move before game time.
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The bigger point for Pittsburgh is that his role should only grow as the season goes on. Even with the modest numbers so far, Metcalfs ability to force attention away from teammates gives the offense another layer, and the Steelers are counting on more targets to come as they settle into the year. For now, the early returns suggest his impact is being measured as much by what he opens up for the rest of the group as by what lands in his own stat line. [Read more 🡒]