The Pittsburgh Steelers made several additions to their roster this offseason. They’ll also be looking for bigger contributions from players who have been with their team, such as DK Metcalf. The Steelers traded a second-round pick for him last year, and they expected him to make a big impact in their offense. Unfortunately, Metcalf had an underwhelming year. Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter has some advice for how Metcalf can elevate his game, though.

“He’s not as big as Calvin Johnson, but he’s not as athletic as Calvin,” Carter said recently on his Fully Loaded podcast. “His route running, his ability to catch the ball in traffic, is not [as good]. He works on his body. He works on his speed. How much does he work on his route running and his hands?

“Because those are the weaknesses of his game. For me, I’m spending 90 percent of the offseason on those two items to make everything improve. That’s my advice to someone like DK.”

Metcalf is a unique physical specimen. He stands at around 6’4” and weighs over 220 pounds, and he’s got incredible athleticism. Metcalf ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the Combine in 2019. Few receivers have that combination of size and speed.

Still, Metcalf’s game isn’t perfect, and Carter hit the nail on the head in identifying the receiver’s weaknesses. Unlike most bigger receivers, he struggles to make contested catches. Metcalf even struggles to secure passes when he’s open, too. There were some examples of that hurting the Steelers last year.

Metcalf isn’t the most refined route runner, but that’s tougher to fix than his drop issues. That isn’t necessarily how he wins on the field, either. Although Metcalf should improve his route running, no receiver is perfect. His size likely means that he’ll never truly dominate in that area.

That’s okay. Metcalf should play to his strengths and use his size and speed to overwhelm defenses. Improving his hands should be a top priority. Becoming more consistent with contested catches would help Metcalf be even more lethal as a deep threat.

The Steelers upgraded their receiver room this offseason. However, they still lack explosive playmakers outside of Metcalf. He’ll likely be their main downfield threat in 2026.

Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard should help make up for what Metcalf lacks in route running. Metcalf needs to be Pittsburgh’s home run hitter, but perhaps adding some new tricks to his bag could help him bounce back after his lackluster 2025 season.