Steelers Now
It’s safe to say that the Pittsburgh Steelers acquisition and subsequent extension for star wide receiver DK Metcalf was one of their splashiest moves in franchise history. This was certainly an aggressive move to fill one of the team’s biggest holes on the roster. But with that price comes great expectations and a lot of attention from the opposition, especially if the franchise isn’t able to acquire another starting-caliber receiver before the season opener.
DK Metcalf definitely isn’t a stranger to high-profile matchups, and there are several enticing duels on the horizon when looking at the 2025 schedule. Not only will the result of these bouts be keys to victory but these clashes will assuredly make for some entertaining film sessions the following days.
Today, we’ll rank the five toughest cornerbacks that will be tasked with shutting down the Aaron Rodgers-Metcalf connection this fall. Spoiler alert: this is a really tough schedule that makes for some appointment viewing. The good news? Going up against Joey Porter Jr. every day in practice should him ready to roll come September.
Following a breakout season in 2023, Johnson earned himself a massive, well-deserved $76M payday. He’s a physical corner with plus route recognition skills and remains one of the smartest cornerbacks when it comes to reading the quarterback’s eyes in zone coverage. Under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s man-heavy scheme, Johnson is going to be tasked with more true island reps along the boundary. Not that he can’t handle those high-leverage situations, but I’d expect the Steelers to try to test him vertically early, knowing that Metcalf has the speed advantage between the two players.
Benford, a sixth-round pick in 2022, surprised everyone by winning the starting job as a rookie and has become one of the best day three success stories in recent memory. He’s a complete corner and pure technician that can play a myriad of techniques and just rarely makes mistakes, further evidenced by his sub-3% missed tackle rate each of the past two seasons. Buffalo likes to play a good amount of quarters coverage, so perhaps a deep post shot with Metcalf lined up as the #1 WR could be the move. With the Bills having such a high-powered offense, generating explosive plays is a necessity for keeping pace, but that’s Metcalf’s strength and why they acquired him.
A familiar name having played in the AFC North for the entirety of his seven-year career, Ward paced the league with a whopping 17 pass breakups last season. He’s an electric mover with light feet, is highly functional in both press and off-coverage, and his recovery speed allows him to vault himself back into phase. If there’s a weakness to his game, it’s mainly been his durability, in part because he’s smaller than the rest of the cover specialists on this list. The Browns defense...
