News Article
Published
Oct 16, 2026 at 06:19 PM EDT
The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver issue may have just gotten bigger.
The Steelers will already be without three wide receivers on Sunday when facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Michael Pittman Jr. was placed on the injured reserve list for a foot injury. Then, Roman Wilson will be out with a finger injury and Ben Skowronek with a calf injury.
When the injury report came out on Friday, one name popped up as a surprise: receiver DK Metcalf. He didn't practice on Friday because of an illness. The team listed him questionable for Sunday's game. That's the last thing the Steelers needed to hear this week.
Metcalf is the top receiver quarterback Aaron Rodgers targets on the field. Through five games, Metcalf's caught 19-of-37 targets for 225 yards and one touchdown. These definitely aren't the numbers Metcalf is used to producing on the field, but he's made some big plays in important moments on the field this season.
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Even if Metcalf does play on Sunday, there's a good chance rookie Germie Bernard will be targeted quite a bit once again. He had a standout game versus the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday as he caught six passes for 80 yards, a career-high for him. There's an expectation that Rodgers will target Bernard a lot again since he proved himself capable of making big plays last weekend. And, the Steelers are somewhat desperate and don't have other options.
If Metcalf doesn't play, then the only receiver on the roster who's seen action on the field so far this season is Bernard. The Steelers will need to elevate a couple of receivers. Last weekend, for example, the team elevated Brandon Smith from the practice squad. The Steelers also have rookie receiver Kaden Wetjen on the roster, but he hasn't seen any game time yet.