Two very real improvements from DK Metcalf

If Metcalf’s progress is real, opposing teams will struggle to stop him

This will be an interesting year for DK Metcalf.

But I can almost guarantee it will be a good one.

The Seattle Seahawks definitely have an offensive thing going on right now. That is, they’ve got a whole bunch of really good offensive players, coupled with both coordinator and quarterback that are willing to share the love.

Metcalf’s got one big game, but in both games in which he scored a TD he had under 50 yards.

This may not be a 1,300 yard season like he put up in 2020, but after four games I think we’ve seen another step of improvement from the dynamic receiver. Whether the numbers support it by end of year, Metcalf’s clearly been working on two areas to make him a more complete athlete.

First of, let’s acknowledge that touchdown on Monday Night was ridiculous.

This is not really something that’s been a big part of Metcalf’s game. In fact, I don’t think he’s had all that good a set of hands since he entered the league. He’s made fantastic deep ball plays and hotly-contested strength catches, but not necessarily finesse. He was credited with a 6% or higher drop rate in his first two seasons. That’s….real bad.

Metcalf admitted he learned the “late hands” from Tyler Lockett, which is awesome. I’ve already spoken before how Metcalf was one of the worst red zone targets in the league last year. Doing something like what he did on Monday marks an additional tool in the tool belt for both he and the Seahawks offense, one that was perhaps not desperately, but strongly needed.

One more piece that stood out from the Giants game, and this might actually be more important. In a game that had a bizarre amount of fighting on both sides, where was Metcalf?

Geno got flagged, Anthony Bradford was in a fight, and Seahawks were getting retaliated against all night for almost (legally) killing Daniel Jones.

But Metcalf wasn’t an instigator anywhere. In fact, he’s been really quiet since the confrontation with the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1.

There’s one potentially hilarious explanation:

Sign Language. Who knew.

Granted, it’s not been a rival or Jalen Ramsey, and the team’s been winning, but it’s not nothing. Metcalf has had a steady stream of unsportsmanlike penalties follow him ever since he entered the league. But I do think it has far more to do with a fiercely burning competitive spirit than deep character issues. He’s caused drama to be sure, but has never been seen yelling at his coach for the ball, and this is a self-initiated attempt to improve his composure during the game.

These are small moments, on and off the field. But together, they begin to paint the picture that Metcalf has continued to evolve into an even more dangerous player.