DK Metcalf Camp Update — August 23: He Says He's Fine for Week One

DK Metcalf finally spoke, and the word was fine. After roughly a week and a half out with an injury the team has never named, Metcalf told reporters he feels fine, and the reporting around it says he is expected to be available for the September thirteenth opener against Atlanta, per Paolo Songco at Athlon Sports on August twentieth. That is the first genuinely reassuring language in this file since Aaron Rodgers first called him banged up back on August eleventh.

What has not changed: Metcalf did not practice this week and sat Friday's 17-to-nothing loss to the Jets in street clothes, per Alex Kozora at Steelers Depot, his second straight preseason game watched from the sideline. And the room he anchors had a rough night without him — the wide receivers drew a D in Josh Carney's positional grades at Steelers Depot, with drops throughout, Ben Skowronek's three catches for 26 yards the most reliable output, per Kozora.

Back in June we made two arguments for Metcalf: a near-hundred-target role that travels, and a full offseason of chemistry with Rodgers — the thing that separated this season from last year's version. The role argument is untouched; nobody in that D-grade room is taking his job. The chemistry argument keeps losing calendar. The camp connection that had him catching 21 of 29 from Rodgers stopped on August eighth and has not resumed, and Rodgers himself has yet to take a preseason snap. "Fine" and "expected available" are the right words; a padded practice would be better evidence.

The checkable things this week: whether Metcalf actually returns to practice before Thursday's finale at Buffalo, and whether he is a full participant by the time rosters cut to 53 on Sunday, August thirtieth — three weeks of missed reps is recoverable, but only once the reps restart. We'll check after cut day.

_Data via nflverse._