Steelers Get DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr. Back Ahead of Week 1
A wave of injury good news hits Pittsburgh's receiver room just as the Steelers finalize their season-opening game plan.
The Pittsburgh Steelers got a wave of encouraging injury news ahead of their Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons, with wide receivers DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. — who each went down around the same time — both back at practice this week. Getting both wideouts healthy for the opener is a genuinely bigger deal than it might look given who's throwing them the ball this season.
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Metcalf, 28, put up 850 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2025, while Pittman, 28, arrives after a 784-yard, 7-touchdown final season in Indianapolis. They're not alone: safety Jaquan Brisker, defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., and quarterback Will Howard have all also returned to practice. Pittsburgh faces a real deadline of its own Sunday at 1 p.m. ET to work out a contract extension for Porter Jr. Head coach Mike McCarthy is also switching Pittsburgh to a weekly team-captain system rather than naming season-long captains, while Atlanta counters with Tua Tagovailoa under center — Michael Penix Jr. remains inactive as he works back from a torn ACL.
"[Rodgers is] gonna be 43 during this season... I'm very pessimistic about how he's going to look at the end of this season."— Nick Wright, on Aaron Rodgers entering his age-42 campaign
One NFL senior writer went further, predicting Rodgers "walks away from Pittsburgh after a nine-win, nonplayoff campaign." Our take: Rodgers led the Steelers to their first division title since 2020 last year while playing through a serious wrist injury, so betting against him again is a bet that's lost before — but a healthier receiver room walking into Week 1 makes this the best supporting cast he's had here, which is exactly why a slow start would be hard to explain away. Pittsburgh's front office clearly built this roster to win now around a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback in the final act of his career, and a healthy receiver room removes one of the few real excuses left if the offense stalls again in a winnable opener.
Pittsburgh's Week 1 injury picture clears up
DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. both return to Steelers practice.
S Jaquan Brisker, DL Sebastian Joseph-Day, CB Joey Porter Jr., and QB Will Howard are all back.
Deadline for Pittsburgh to extend Joey Porter Jr. before Week 1 against Atlanta.
A banged-up receiver room got healthier at the best possible time for Pittsburgh.
Week 1 Prediction: Score, Spread & Player Prop
Steelers -3.5 at home over Atlanta, per Week 1 lines from DraftKings and Covers.com.
42.5 total points, one of the lowest Week 1 totals on the board. We lean the under — this series has gone under in 4 of the last 6 meetings.
DK Metcalf Over 54.5 receiving yards (-115 range at most books) in his first game back at full health with a healthier receiver room around him.
Odds referenced from DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM lines as of this week; lines move, always confirm current odds before betting.
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Sources: Yahoo Sports, Steelers Depot, Behind the Steel Curtain