The Steelers opened Thursday's preseason contest against the Packers with a familiar problem: the offense was missing too much of its top-end receiving talent to tell us much about the passing game. DK Metcalf was not in uniform because of an undisclosed injury, and that matters even in August because availability is often the first test of how much a team can actually build around its stars.
Another short-handed look for Pittsburgh
Metcalf's absence came at a time when the Steelers were already trying to piece together their receiver rotation. Wilson has been the No. 3 wideout with Pittsburgh's first-team offense throughout most of training camp, which tells you how much the unit is leaning on depth while the top options are out of view. In that sense, Thursday was less about scheme than survival.
The timing also matters. The Steelers were without both of their top two wide receivers for the preseason opener, which naturally limits what the offense can show and what the coaches can evaluate. That is not necessarily a warning sign on its own, but it does mean the preseason opener offered a thinner snapshot than usual. For a team still sorting out roles, that is a real complication.
Pittman, meanwhile, was dealing with a right leg injury and had already missed practice this week after not being spotted on Monday and not practicing on Tuesday. His next opportunity to log some exhibition action is Friday, Aug. 21 versus the Jets. That makes the early preseason picture even more incomplete, especially with Aaron Rodgers not slated to play Thursday either.
There is no need to overstate what one missed preseason game means in isolation. But when DK Metcalf is unavailable, and another key receiver is also sidelined, the Steelers are forced to answer the same question twice: how much can this offense function when the passing game is stripped down to its most basic pieces? That is the real takeaway from Thursday, and it is one that will matter more once the games start counting.
