Something happened after Week 4 with wide receiver DK Metcalf and the Seattle Seahawks offense. In Week 2 through 4, Metcalf had at least 100 yards receiving in each game, the first Seattle receiver ever to accomplish that. He appeared on the verge of his best season, a seemingly great fit in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's scheme.
Then it all slowed a great deal. Sure, the receiver has missed two games due to injury, but he has not reached 100 yards receiving in another game, though he got 99 in Week 7 versus the Atlanta Falcons. Other than Week 7, the most yards receiving in a game since Week 4 is just 70. He also isn't getting as many targets.
In the Seahawks' ugly loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 15, Seattle's mercurial WR1 (or is he WR2 now?) had only three targets even though the Packers were missing their best cornerback and a starting safety. The fact is that no matter the matchup, Grubb simply has not been able to figure out how to get Metcalf more involved.
Does Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb know how to get DK Metcalf the ball more?
In Week 2 through 6, Metcalf was targeted at least six times in each game and three times he was in the double digits. Since Week 7, the receiver has been targeted nine times twice, but six times or fewer in three of the last four games. Thank goodness Jaxon Smith-Njigba has had a fantastic second season because Metcalf has not recently been impactful, and Tyler Lockett has disappeared.
A huge problem is that one reason Grubb was hired last offseason was that he had shown in college that he knew how to scheme wide receivers open deep down the field. That should have worked magnificently with Metcalf, but he has digressed as the season has grown old. Opposing defenses have figured out what Grubb was doing in college and shut it down in the NFL, except for JSN who is versatile enough to get open at different levels on the field.
Speaking to the media this week, Grubb said, "...it bothered me" that Metcalf was not getting targeted more against the Packers. "A guy like that got to find ways to get him the football...How can I get this guy the ball?"
The hope is that Grubb is just talking out loud and he has a plan for how to get the receiver the ball more. The issue is that if he does know, then how come the problem has not already been resolved? If Metcalf is productive with his immense size and speed then that should make JSN's job even easier. It would also help Lockett be more productive.
Smith-Njigba is a great receiver, and Lockett was once one. Without a doubt, however, Metcalf's explosive ability scares opposing defenses much more than what JSN or Lockett can do. That means defensive backs are going to rotate more to Metcalf and leave more single coverage on the Seahawks' other receivers.
The question is whether Grubb is truly going to be a good NFL coordinator. He has been hampered by the awfulness of Seattle's offensive line play, but great OCs can game-plan to overcome that liability to a decent degree. Grubb hasn't done that, nor has he recently gotten Metcalf the ball enough.