Retour
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf‘s drop issues have emerged again. Metcalf, who was wide open, dropped a deep pass from Aaron Rodgers in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.
Metcalf’s drop resulted in an interception by Denzel Ward. The Browns drove down the field, but the Steelers had a goal-line stand to hold on to a 27-6 lead.
It was a massive mishap by Metcalf, and former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown let him hear about it.
“Out there eatin candy & shi…,” Brown wrote on X.
This is not the first time that Brown has called out Metcalf.
After a brutal performance in the season opener against Atlanta, Metcalf had two drops in the Week 2 20-3 loss to the New England Patriots in Foxborough.
“Metcalf, third down, drop. Metcalf, fourth down, drop. Metcalf across the middle, drop. His hands don’t work,” Brown said in a video posted on X. “Metcalf, eating candy and s*** … Everything drop with Metcalf. If I was dropping the ball like this, fam, [they] would literally call the police.”
Metcalf has only one reception for 4 yards against Cleveland. The Steelers have relied on their running game and the tight ends instead.
Former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley has been critical of Metcalf.
“He’s really talented, but he’s not in that stratosphere, in my opinion, of a Larry Fitzgerald or even an Antonio Brown,” Haley said on 93.7 The Fan. “But Aaron Rodgers has to do what he should do, and he’s really smart and he understands coverage. I don’t know DK. I don’t know where he is from that standpoint. But you’ve got to figure out ways. There’s no doubt about it. Your best players, you need to get the ball going in their direction as much as you can.”
Rodgers and Metcalf have not developed consistent chemistry over the last two years. That was evident in last Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints, as the two couldn’t connect on go balls. Rodgers did complete a 51-yard pass to Metcalf for a big play, however.
Coming into the Browns game, Rodgers was completing just 58 percent of his passes to Metcalf in 21 games together, with seven touchdowns and three interceptions, according to NFL insider Jason La Canfora.
Haley also told La Canfora that Metcalf has a limited route tree, which relies heavily on go routes.
“Kind of a one-trick pony,” Haley observed, according to La Canfora.