Steelers' DK Metcalf And George Pickens Now "In The Conversation" Of Best Duos In The NFL

The Pittsburgh Steelers attempted to solve their wide receiver problem in a big way by trading for former Seattle Seahawks standout, DK Metcalf. After trading Diontae Johnson away before the 2024 season, they attempted to land several receivers, including Brandon Aiyuk, but nothing panned out. This left nothing but George Pickens and a lot of depth pieces on the offense. Opposing defenses learned quickly that if they eliminated Pickens, either physically shutting him down, or emotionally, the offense would struggle to move the ball down the field. 

While the Steelers are still trying to figure out who will be their starting quarterback in 2025, their receiving corps got a significant upgrade. The thought of Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith having Pickens and Metcalf on the outside and perhaps a newly drafted receiver joining Roman Wilson in running routes sounds like the modern NFL fan's dream come true. 

The Steelers have taken a lot of heat over the recent years for not modernizing their offense more and still wanting to run the ball so much, while teams like the Cincinnati Bengals continue to funnel money into their offensive weapons. They recently announced they planned to put a franchise tag on Tee Higgins to ensure he is again partnered with Ja'Marr Chase and quarterback Joe Burrow. 

Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show discussed the Bengals' wide receiver situation with his podcast co-host Chris Mack on Kaboly and Mack. The Bengals gave the duo a set of historic extensions: Chase got four years, $161 million with $112 million guaranteed, and Higgins four years, $115 million that is guaranteed for the first two years. Mack said that it is an oversight that the Metcalf and Pickens duo are not considered as dangerous as Chase and Higgins. 

"I think there's a big step down, but that's not saying they're not in the conversation with the rest of the duos in the league," said Kaboly. "I'm even talking about the [Jordan] Addison's and the [Justin] Jefferson's and [Chris] Godwin's and the [Mike] Evans' of the world, there's a ton of those like that, and they're right in that, but Chase and Higgins are on a different level a lot because of the quarterback."

Kaboly said that the Bengals' situation feels hard to sustain. They will have nearly $100 million tied up in 2025 in just those three players, and now they are talking about keeping their best defender, Trey Hendrickson, who would cost about another $30 million. This leaves most other players on the team making the league minimum. Mack added that while it sounds old school, the truth is defense does win championships, and the Bengals have to be able to stop their opponents, something they struggled with in 2024.  

The reality is that Burrow, who was a contender for the league MVP Award in 2024, will have to have that kind of season every year, said Kaboly. For the Bengals to win it all, Burrow must be flawless, even a step above where he was in 2024. However, the Steelers saw firsthand how crucial good quarterbacking is against their AFC rivals during their shootout win in Week 13.  

The Steelers Are Building A Strong Team

While Kaboly might not feel Pickens and Metcalf are at the same level as Chase and Higgins, he admitted that much of that concern is their quarterback. Mack said if you threw a "nameless grey face" under center, the two pairs would match up more evenly. 

Kaboly agrees that player for player, the Steelers are building something strong. The Bengals' offense has been considered the unit to beat since drafting Burrow, and the Steelers are slowly getting there. Kaboly believes Pittsburgh has a superior offensive line, tight end, and defense comparatively. 

Do you think that Metcalf and Pickens can be as competitive as those other duos in the league? Tell us what you think below!

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