Steelers are growing concerned over Aaron Rodgers' alarming performance

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot to work on after the first couple of weeks of training camp have concluded and they prepare for a preseason game. The offense has not played well all throughout these early practices. Even though they have to go against the highest-paid defense every day, it's not a good sign when the third-team offense has consistently been the most exciting and inspiring unit on that side of the ball. There are lots of things that need to be fixed before Week 1 kicks off, or else it will be a long season. 

As usual, these problems start with the quarterback position. Insider Mike DeFabo reported on a big problem that Aaron Rodgers has had with his receiving core.

"While Rodgers’ quick release has married well with DK Metcalf’s ability to win on slants, the QB hasn’t been able to unlock his big-play threat downfield," DeFabo said. "During Sunday’s practice, Rodgers did find Metcalf on a deep cross thanks to some blown coverage. But that touchdown is the outlier in an offense that’s relied overwhelmingly on short, quick passes or checkdowns. During a 7-on-7 period, Rodgers overthrew Metcalf on a pair of vertical routes. This comes days after Rodgers and Metcalf failed to connect on a go route during the two-minute drill to end "Friday Night Lights." The only other memorable deep ball between the two in team periods also fell incomplete about a week ago, when Rodgers’ pass fluttered out of bounds as Joey Porter Jr. stayed in Metcalf’s hip pocket."

While DK Metcalf has never been a polished route runner, he was still brought in to make life easier on the quarterback. Multiple reports out of training camp continue to express similar analysis that the connection between Metcalf and Rodgers, especially downfield, has been far from perfect. 

If the chemistry between Metcalf and Rodgers continues to stall, someone else will have to step up. As DeFabo also reports, no one else has been able to take an alpha role in this receiver room thus far.

"On Sunday, Rodgers looked for [Roman] Wilson on a corner route. The uncatchable ball skipped well in front of the receiver," DeFabo said. "Either the throw was errant or they weren’t on the same page. It was a similar story last week, when Rodgers looked for Wilson along the sideline and threw it well out of bounds. After that misfire, Rodgers walked Wilson through how to run his route the way the QB wants. Meanwhile, [Calvin] Austin missed his second consecutive practice with an injury."

After essentially being redshirted due to injury his rookie year, Roman Wilson has been given multiple opportunities to run with the first-team offense and prove that he belongs on the field. So far, he seems to have absolutely zero chemistry with his new quarterback, and that could cause him to lose reps as time goes on. The injury to Calvin Austin III has not helped at all either, as he was named WR2 earlier in the offseason. 

While Rodgers wants everyone to thrive, he is known for being very particular and demanding of his receivers. With Metcalf not being a great route runner and Wilson still trying to learn the system, the veteran quarterback is having a hard time getting what he wants out of them.

Wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni was also brought in to be a no-nonsense type of coach that forces his players to be the best that they can be. He'll need to earn his keep this offseason as he continues to prepare his unit for the regular season. If 2025 is as much of a struggle as training camp is so far, the whole position could see a massive overhaul.