Seahawks: D.K. Metcalf letting Geno Smith lead, stepping back into a more natural role
The Seattle Seahawks star wide receiver knows talk is cheap. Success comes down to leading by example.
Heading into 2023, Seattle Seahawks star receiver D.K. Metcalf wants it clear that he doesn't plan to lead by his voice. Instead, he is opting for his actions to do more of the talking.
During the 2022 season, Metcalf — 25 years old — tried leading by his voice. It was his first year without Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson, so initially, he believed he would be the one to step up and be the voice of the locker room. But after one season in that role, he said he feels like he "overstepped" some boundaries in the locker room, so he is getting back to doing what has made him a name to this point in his NFL career — letting his on-field play do the talking.
“When you lose guys like Bobby and Russ, you try to force yourself into roles that you think that you can fulfill,” Metcalf said to reporters Wednesday. “That just wasn’t my role.
“That’s Geno’s role, to be a vocal leader. He’s the quarterback. He’s the one calling the plays. He’s the one saying ‘Hut!’”
The pressure of being a vocal leader for the Seahawks may have gotten to Metcalf during the 2022 season, though he seems apprehensive to admit it. The Seahawks star did collect eight penalties during the season, a league-leading figure among wide receivers.
However, he was still a problem in the pass-catching game. Metcalf hauled in 90 catches, a career-high. And he also enjoyed his second 1,000-yard receiving season in three years. Where his game suffered was in the touchdown department. He only tallied six, half of his 2021 total, when Wilson was his quarterback.
So it is back to the basics with Metcalf: Playing football and catching deep balls.
“I’m a guy that works hard, and leads by example," Metcalf said. “I overstepped some boundaries [last year], where if I was just going to lead by example those boundaries are never touched."
Metcalf picked an interesting moment in time to lead by example. The Seahawks have a young slot receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whom many assume could use NFL-level tutoring.
All reports indicate that Smith-Njigba has impressed throughout the mandatory minicamp. That is good news for the Seahawks, an organization in need of a No. 3 receiver with sure hands and smooth route running.
Additionally, the Seahawks also have Dareke Young, a seventh-round draft selection, who played his college ball at Division-II Lenior-Rhyne. And then there is the crop of undrafted receivers Matt Landers from Arkansas, John Hall from Division-II Northwood, Jake Bobo from UCLA, and Tyjon Lindsey from Oregon State. All of whom could use the guidance of a Pro Bowl-level NFL receiver.
But here is the catch, Metcalf isn't planning on doing much talking. Instead, he implores them to watch him work and figure out the rest — as he had to during his rookie season, learning from Wagner and Willson.
“He didn’t tell me anything,” Metcalf said of Wagner’s leadership style his rookie year. “He told me he was going to work out and I was either going to show up or not. That’s basically what I’m doing to the young guys: showing them what helped me my rookie year.”
Feature image via Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports.
