Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have the most dynamic and productive group of pass catchers in the NFL. He might have the most diverse, however.

Halfway through his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers has thrown passes to 13 players. Nine have caught touchdowns, giving the Steelers the type of depth that may be unmatched in the NFL.

It also explains Rodgers’ philosophy when asked how he goes about distributing his targets.

“Throw it to the open guy,” Rodgers said. “Whoever gets open usually gets the opportunities.”

The Steelers traded for DK Metcalf and gave him a five-year, $150 million contract in March to be the clear-cut No. 1 receiver on the roster. His status was cemented when George Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in early May.

Metcalf easily leads the Steelers in receiving yards with 467 and five touchdowns. But his 29 receptions through eight games are just two more than running back Kenneth Gainwell and four ahead of tight end Jonnu Smith. And Metcalf ranks No. 32 in the NFL in receiving yards and tied for No. 59 in catches.

Metcalf will need to maintain that pace and average 59 receiving yards over the final nine weeks if he is going to achieve his fourth 1,000-yard receiving season. He’ll also need a slight uptick in catches if he hopes to match the 66 receptions he had in the 2023-24 seasons with Seattle.

Metcalf has been Rodgers’ most-targeted receiver, getting 47 passes thrown his way for an average of about six per game. He doesn’t have more for several reasons. One is his presence results in teams often giving him double coverage.

“I just take it as a sign of respect,” Metcalf said. “It’s what comes with the territory.”

Another factor is Rodgers’ reluctance to throw to a receiver that he doesn’t believe is open. Which is why he has spread the ball around to other options so frequently.

Rodgers said it is similar to his days with the Green Bay Packers when Davante Adams was his top receiver.

“I just said, ‘Listen, I throw it to the open guy,’ but Davante was open more often than not,” Rodgers said. “So, he’s getting those targets. But I throw it to the open guy.”

And that’s not necessarily always a wide receiver. Of the six players on the Steelers who have caught at least 19 passes this year, just two are receivers: Metcalf and Calvin Austin (19). Running back Jaylen Warren has 21 catches and tight end Pat Freiermuth 19. In recent weeks, Rodgers also has found a reliable target in tight end Darnell Washington, who caught four of six targets for 43 yards in the Steelers’ 27-20 victory last Sunday against Indianapolis.

“Guys know that I’m legitimately not looking at the install and saying, ‘99 percent (of the time) I’m not getting the ball except for a couple crumbs here and there,’ ” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. “Guys understand the ball can go anywhere. As a unit, when morale picks up like that, guys get excited.”

The spread-the-wealth formula has blunted the need for a veteran No. 2 wide receiver. They didn’t secure one at the trade deadline Tuesday, their only transaction in that realm involving the signing of Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the practice squad. Rodgers vouched for Valdes-Scantling, his former teammate in Green Bay, to the organization, and he vouched for the unselfish nature of the locker room to Valdes-Scantling.

“I was telling Marquez that there’s no bad apples in here,” Rodgers said.

Jonnu Smith joined the Steelers a year after his most productive NFL season. He caught 88 passes for 884 yards and eight touchdowns. Any personal satisfaction was blunted by the Dolphins’ finishing 8-9 and missing the playoffs.

“We’ve all got the same goal in mind,” he said. “As long as we get there, that’s all that matters. It can be a different guy’s week. That’s the type of offense we’ve got and the type of guys we’ve got. As long as we win, that’s all that matters.”

Metcalf agreed.

“You all may get frustrated with that, but we don’t,” he said. “We just want to win.”

It’s a different attitude than the one that permeated the Steelers locker room in recent seasons. The Steelers no longer have to deal with blowups from the likes of Antonio Brown or Pickens, who were infamous for throwing fits when the ball didn’t come their way.

“Look at the stat sheet, and it may not be your night, but you’ve contributed in a huge way for the collective of the team win,” Jonnu Smith said. “That is the message that has been spreading like a virus throughout our locker room. Guys have bought into it.”

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