Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf (right) talks with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith during practice at NFL minicamp on Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — The scene looked familiar. Maybe that’s because it was.
A defender racing downfield, ball in hand. DK Metcalf in relentless — and remarkably fast — pursuit.
Five years ago, it was Metcalf memorably tracking down Arizona’s Budda Baker 90 yards from the line of scrimmage to prevent a touchdown, a play that would be in the NFL GIF Hall of Fame, if such a thing existed (give it time, it might).
On Tuesday, in Metcalf’s first official practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers after being acquired in a trade with the Seahawks in March, he nearly caught new teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick as Fitzpatrick dashed toward the end zone with a turnover.
This time, the whistle blew before Metcalf’s white No. 4 jersey reached Fitzpatrick’s No. 39. Nobody was robbed of a score. Nobody was mic’ed up. And no video evidence of the sequence will ever reach the internet.
Still, the max effort from a two-time Pro Bowler during a time of year coach Mike Tomlin describes as “football lite” was noticeable.
“I mean, that’s just football,” Metcalf said with a shrug on Wednesday. “If you see a turnover, I’m not just going to walk and let him return the ball. Like I’m going to go get his (butt).”
It’s the way Metcalf is wired, one of the many reasons the Steelers made the aggressive move to swing a deal for the 27-year-old, then immediately sign him to a massive extension.
While Pittsburgh has a knack for finding talented wide receivers in the draft — from Antonio Brown to Martavis Bryant to JuJu Smith-Schuster to Diontae Johnson to George Pickens — the one thing it has struggled with is finding a pass catcher who can be a difference-maker on the field without being a headline-maker off it.
Metcalf will have the chance to check that box and perhaps rewrite the narrative that surrounds his career in the process. He spent six seasons with the Seahawks as an imposing (6-foot-4) and dynamic downfield threat who also happens to be a willing blocker.
The fire that runs through him, however, would sometimes singe teammates and coaches in Seattle, while also occasionally drawing attention from officials. Metcalf’s challenge in Pittsburgh will be channeling things properly on a team that is in flux at quarterback.
Yes, Aaron Rodgers — who famously met up with Metcalf in California during the offseason for a throwing session not long after Metcalf was acquired by Pittsburgh — will have the ball this season. What happens after that, however, is uncertain.
Metcalf is committed to the long haul, and that includes providing leadership to a room that is largely lacking outside of 12-year veteran Robert Woods, signed in May. While Metcalf is still in the “getting to know you” stage in Pittsburgh, he understands the standing that his resume and his contract command.
“I’m more of a lead by example-type guy,” he said. “I’m not a big rah-rah guy or walk up to you and say something to you on the spot (guy).”
He would rather pull someone off to the side for a quick chat rather than “blast” them in front of the whole team. That might be a step in the right direction for a group that’s spent the past few years trying to weather Pickens’ petulant behavior.
Pittsburgh opted to move on, shipping the talented but mercurial 24-year-old to Dallas last month. While it might feel like addition by subtraction in a locker room that was over his antics, on the field, it also could create a void.
Metcalf, however, cautioned against the idea that the unit can’t be productive. He pledged to be an “open book” to Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson, both of whom Metcalf called “special.”
“I’m going to be asking them questions as well and how they see the game,” he said. “So just piggybacking off of what they do and just bouncing ideas off each other.”
He also plans to continue to bounce things off Rodgers, whose quick release combined with Metcalf’s innate ability to beat defenders off the line of scrimmage could create the kind of opportunities that didn’t come enough last season, when Metcalf only turned 35 of his 66 receptions into first downs, a career low.
Rodgers and Metcalf have quickly hit it off and even spent some of their downtime together challenging each other by playing a trivia game. Metcalf called Rodgers “a fun person” and believes there’s an opportunity for both of them to turn the chemistry they’re building into something special come late fall.
“Hopefully,” he said, “we can put a product on the field that you know can last a lifetime.”
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