The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off their best two offensive outings of the season with 69 points over the past two weeks.
Having said that, now is not the time to take the foot off the gas according to Bleacher Report analyst Alex Ballentine. On October 21, Ballentine urged the Steelers to contact the Houston Texans about a trade for former second-round wide receiver John Metchie III.
“Regardless of whether it’s Russell Wilson or Justin Fields playing quarterback, the Steelers need more pass-catchers,” the NFL analyst argued ahead of Week 8. “Pat Freiermuth and George Pickens have been good for the quarterbacks, but the Steelers other options just aren’t threatening defenses.”
“John Metchie III doesn’t have a long track record of production,” Ballentine went on to acknowledge, “but he’s been lost in the shuffle in Houston. The Texans have one of the deepest groups of receivers and he just hasn’t been used much.”
Finally, the writer concluded that “giving [Metchie] a fresh start in Pittsburgh could be beneficial for all parties.”
John Metchie Suffered Early NFL Setback Due to Unfortunate Bout With Leukemia
It’s fair to say that Metchie hasn’t exactly received a fair shake since being drafted out of Alabama in 2022. Ahead of his rookie season, the youngster was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia — which Cleveland Clinic describes as “a rare blood cancer.”
“It’s a form of acute myeloid leukemia that happens when a genetic mutation (change) creates abnormal white blood cells that multiply uncontrollably in your bone marrow,” Cleveland Clinic explains, adding: “APL is a serious condition with life-threatening symptoms, including excessive bleeding, which come on suddenly and quickly get worse.”
Fortunately, Metchie was treated and cured. He returned to the game of football for the 2023 season, but had plenty of competition as the Texans continued to draft wide receivers throughout their rebuild — including Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Xavier Hutchinson.
Coming off of a torn ACL in 2021 and the aforementioned illness in 2022, it took some time for Metchie to knock the rust off and produce at the NFL level. He appeared in 16 games during his first pro season, but only caught 16-of-22 targets for 158 yards. The former Alabama star also recorded 3 receptions for 44 yards during the playoffs.
In 2024, Metchie was once again buried on the depth chart before getting a chance to prove himself — after the Texans traded for superstar WR Stefon Diggs over the offseason. He’s a high-ceiling prospect that racked up over 2,000 receiving yards during his final 26 games at Alabama, and he’s still only 24 years old.
Not a bad flyer for the Steelers to take a chance on if he’s made available ahead of the deadline.
Steelers WR Corps Still Needs More Explosiveness
Wilson threw for 264 yards against the New York Jets in Week 7, but a lot of that production came from a couple of deep connections with Pickens and a catch-and-run by Freiermuth.
If defenses were to double-team Pickens and take away the one-on-one jump ball in the future, the Steelers will have to once again turn to players like Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson. That’s where things could get dicey facing a top NFL defense — which the Jets were not on Sunday night due to several injuries to the secondary.
The Steelers need another explosive piece that can punish opposing defenses, should Pickens garner more attention.
Some thought that player might be rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson, but injuries and a lack of trust from the coaching staff have limited the draft pick’s impact so far. Perhaps someone like Metchie can help bridge the gap.
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