Will new OC Ryan Grubb unlock these Seahawks players?
May 15, 2024, 11:20 AM
Geno Smith #7 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates a DK Metcalf touchdown during a 2022 game. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Could new Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator bring quarterback Geno Smith’s game to new heights? ESPN’s Mina Kimes believes so.
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On ESPN’s NFL Live, Kimes explained how she thinks Grubb could unlock a new part of Smith’s game. The facet of the game Kimes is referring to is completing easier passes over the middle of the field in an effort to counteract a shaky offensive line.
Former Seahawks wide receiver Michael Bumpus listened to what Kimes had to say, and he agreed. However, Bumpus explained which receiver he specifically thinks could benefit the most Monday during Four Down Territory on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. The receiver Bumpus had in mind is the already-productive DK Metcalf.
“I’m looking at his routes (on Next Gen Stats), a lot of his routes are out-breaking routes and staying on the outside of the numbers,” Bumpus said. “… As you look at DK Metcalf’s routes when it comes to the charts, he does go across the middle. It’s not like he’s allergic to the middle of the field, but it just wasn’t an emphasis.”
Grubb spent the past two seasons guiding the UW Huskies’ prolific offense. With standout quarterback Michael Penix Jr. running the show under Grubb, UW ranked second in the country in passing yards per game in 2023 and first in 2022. The talented receiver trio of Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan also starred alongside Penix in the offense. All three of those wideouts went in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Metcalf, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound Ole Miss product, has accounted for at least 1,000 receiving yards in three of the past four seasons and has twice posted double-digit TD receptions in his five-year career. His efforts include 156 catches for 2,162 yards and 14 TDs since Smith took over as the starter in 2022.
“I think you see a body like that and you say, ‘OK, outside, get vertical,'” Bumpus said. “He can do that, but I think the more you cross the field, the more chaos you cause. Mina said it, we had another national analyst say it – I’m looking at the charts, I’m looking at the film, it makes complete sense. I mean, this could get DK another 200, 300 yards this year. We’ll see.”
Listen to the full Four Down Territory segment at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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