The Pittsburgh Steelers played really well in a blowout victory against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
The Steelers played complimentary football with a freight train rushing attack and ferocious defense. It led to a 27-6 lopsided win.
But there remains a missing element to the Steelers offense — the outside passing game. No receiver had more than 30 receiving yards versus Cleveland, as WR1 D.K. Metcalf struggled again.
Metcalf had just one catch for four yards despite receiving six targets against the Browns. Making matters worse, Metcalf cause a turnover.
The wideout not only dropped a deep pass down the middle of the field where he was wide open, he tipped the dropped pass to Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, who closed on Metcalf late on the play.
Steelers offensive coordinator Brian Angelichico addressed Metcalf, specifically the drop-turned interception play from Week 8, to reporters Monday. Although frustrated, Angelichio made clear the team hasn’t lost faith in Metcalf.
“[Denzel Ward’s INT] is one he’d want back,” said Angelichio, via PennLive.com’s Nick Farabaugh. We haven’t lost confidence in DK Metcalf whatsoever.
The rough afternoon was the fifth time in eight weeks where Metcalf failed to reach even 50 yards this season. Overall this year, he’s averaging career lows of 11.5 yards per catch and 40.6 yards per game.
Steelers D.K. Metcalf Struggling in 2026 NFL Season
Now eight weeks into this season, the 2026 campaign is no longer a small sample. The returns are not good enough for Metcalf.
Although the wideout is on track to surpass his 59 catches from last season, which was his first in Pittsburgh, Metcalf is also only on pace for 803 receiving yards. That would be a new career worst mark.
Before last season, Metcalf had never failed to reach 900 receiving yards. In 2025, he finished with 850 receiving yards after missing the final two regular season games.
But in 2026, he’s averaging 12 fewer yards per game. He’s also only scored one touchdown — in Week 3 versus the Cincinnati Bengals.
That’s far from WR1 production. Metcalf is also not only supposed to be a starter but a star for Pittsburgh. He’s the seventh-highest paid receiver in the league on an average annual basis. The Steelers gave up a second-rounder to acquire him just a year and a half ago.
Clearly, that trade is looking like a major mistake. But at least the Steelers are winning despite Metcalf. That makes things a little easier for Pittsburgh fans to accept the receiver’s struggles.
Metcalf also has the talent to turn things around at any point. But he needs to show more consistency than just the occasional 90-100-yard performance.
Will Steelers Acquire New Wide Receiver?
It will be interesting to see how the Steelers approach the NFL trade deadline next week. Even if Metcalf was playing well, the team would have a need at receiver because of all the injuries at the position.
With a struggling Metcalf on top of the wideout ailments, there’s an even greater need for the Steelers to land a receiver in a trade.
Such a trade could be a good thing for Metcalf. Perhaps the Steelers land a strong route runner such as Garrett Wilson or Josh Downs. That might make Metcalf more of a deep-threat, go-ball receiver in Pittsburgh’s offense.
It could allow Angelichio and the Steelers the opportunity to play more to Metcalf’s strengths rather than him be the primary receiver on every passing play.
If the Steelers executed that sort of trade, it would be a sign that the organization has lost some faith in Metcalf — unlike what Angelichio said. But no one would blame general manager Omar Khan for solidifying receiver with the rest of the roster playing very well.
The Steelers will have a bye this week. Perhaps that will give Metcalf an opportunity to get away from the game and return ready to produce better results during the second half.
The Steelers need him if they are going to win the AFC North.
Steelers OC Gets Honest on D.K. Metcalf After Another Bad Drop vs. Browns