Seahawks camp day 12: DK Metcalf’s impact: ‘Iron sharpens iron’; Cody White gem; OC assess

Mike Macdonald keeps saying it — almost as much as he says “we’re chasing” such and such to improve.

His Seahawks cornerbacks keep repeating it in this training camp.

“Iron sharpens iron.”

At this point, two weeks into their daily, one-on-one battle royales with DK Metcalf, Seattle’s corners should be able to cut glass.

Those defenders talk often how going against Metcalf this time of year is the best preparation for a season in the sport.

It doesn’t get much better — or more difficult — than it was for the cornerbacks Tuesday.

Like one of the supersonic Blue Angels jets that roared over the field last weekend for Seafair, Metcalf zoomed past 2022 Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen down the left sideline on a fly route. There was no doubt where Geno Smith was going with the ball on this play in an 11-on-11 scrimmage. In his second practice back from missing four with knee and hip issues, Smith threw his pass perfectly into Metcalf’s sprint. Metcalf, with 4.33 speed in the 40-yard dash, laughed out loud. Woolen (4.26) chased him vainly to the goal line.

Metcalf also beat Seattle’s starting right cornerback for second score later in the 12th practice of training camp.

“He’s always getting better year by year, whether that’s mentally or physically,” Metcalf, entering his sixth NFL season with the Seahawks, said of Woolen, who is entering his third. “It’s always a good match-up going against one of the best corners in the league at practice.

“Just makes it easier on Sunday going against opposing DBs.”

Each day, Metcalf provides a litmus test for Seattle’s DBs. They are passing and failing them in about equal measures so far.

Tre Brown has been starting at left cornerback opposite Woolen when Devon Witherspoon, the team’s Pro Bowl corner in 2023 as a rookie, has often been inside as a nickel cornerback. Monday, Brown had one of the best one-on-one reps a cornerback can have in open field against the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Metcalf. In a coverage drill from the 5-yard line with the offensive going in, Brown angrily jammed Metcalf in the chest plate of his shoulder pads with a two-hand shiver at the snap.

Though the 5-foot-10 Brown is six inches shorter and 45 pounds lighter than the 235-pound Metcalf, Brown’s blow knocked Metcalf off his route. Metcalf then got back on path down the right sideline into the end zone. Brown stayed inside Metcalf with his back in his chest as he tracked Geno Smith’s pass. It fell incomplete because Brown never gave Metcalf, who has a 40 1/2-inch vertical leap, the chance to catch it. The official right on the play rightly ruled it a clean play.

“Yeahhhhh!” Witherspoon yelled in celebration from a few yards away.

It was more of what has been a sterling camp for Brown, the Seahawks’ second of three picks in the 2021 NFL draft.

“You can’t do nothing but be proud of yourself that you are going out there and taking the challenge every, single time,” Brown said. “You know, DK is not an ordinary receiver. He’s a freak athlete, for one. He’s one of the best athletes in the NFL.

“For me being a competitor, I am going up and accepting the challenge. Every time.

“Just iron sharpening iron, man. You can’t do nothing but accept that.”

Saturday at the team’s fan-fest practice at Lumen Field, Metcalf faked an outside move then broke sharply inside Witherspoon in another one-on-one drill. The move shook Witherspoon so much he fell. Metcalf caught Sam Howell’s pass alone over the middle and ran 40 more yards for a long touchdown. The crowd of a few thousand fans roared.

Friday, Metcalf got Brown early in practices for big catches and scores. At the end of that practice, Brown deftly anticipated Metcalf’s in route, cut it off, intercepted Howell’s pass and returned it for a touchdown. On the final play of Friday, Brown used his backside to box out Metcalf from a back-shoulder throw from Howell into the end zone, then he broke up the pass on a two-point conversion.

Multiple times in the last week, Brown has expertly used his speed to beat Metcalf to points along the sideline and then used his position to nudge Metcalf off his route away from the pass.

“DK’s a helluva a player,” Brown said. “He’s always going to challenge you. So, he made some plays, which is expected.

“I made some plays,” Brown said, smiling, “which is expected.”

Co-Play of the day: Cody White

Besides Metcalf’s zoom past Woolen, the most eye-opening play Tuesday was by Cody White.

The 6-3, 227-pound (only Metcalf is larger among the 12 wide receivers on Seattle’s 90-man roster) veteran of five NFL seasons mostly on practice squads got behind rookie cornerback and fifth-round pick Nehemiah Pritchett down the left sideline. Howell launched one of his better throws of camp, over Pritchett’s tight coverage. While White warded off the pestering Pritchett with his right arm he extended his left one to the pass and caught it with his lone, free arm in the end zone before falling into the boundary.

White is practicing on the new kickoff-return team as an in-line blocker. He’s worked on all four special teams. That may his way onto this team in at a crowded wide-receiver position.

White, released by Pittsburgh last year with an injury settlement, signed with Seattle’s practice squad last fall. He takes pride in his blocking as much as in his positioning for catching passes in tight coverage.

“It’s hard for guys to move me, move me off my spots, being a bigger receiver and just using my physicality as a weapon,” White told The News Tribune on Seattle 93.3 KJR-FM radio.

Ryan Grubb on offense

Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said his new offense is “about 70 to 80%” installed.

The team’s first preseason game is Saturday at the Los Angeles Chargers. The opener to the regular season is Sept. 8 against Denver.

Dee Eskridge update

If White makes the team, it’s likely because Dee Eskridge is not making the team.

It’s sometimes trended that way in camp.

Eskridge, Seattle’s first pick in that thin 2021 draft, has had injury and off-the-field issues that have made him a minimal contributor in the last three Seahawks seasons. He has 17 catches in 24 career games. The NFL suspended him for the first six games of last season for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy.

Tuesday, Howell threaded a pass between two defenders down the center of the field at the goal line. Eskridge went up between them for the well-placed throw. It went through Eskridge’s hands, incomplete.

On the same possession, Howell threw to Eskridge breaking open in the back left of the end zone. The pass thudded through Eskridge’s hands off his stomach. Another incomplete pass instead of a touchdown.

Eskridge has been on the third tier of receivers running mostly with the second- and third-team offense in scrimmages. This spring he restructured the final year of his rookie contract to a non-guaranteed final year at about the league minimum of just over $1 million.

U.S. Air Force visit

Service members from the 313th Airlift Squadron U.S. Air Force reserve unit from Joint Base Lewis-McChord were guests at the otherwise closed practice Tuesday.

Metalf was one of dozens of players who signed autographs for each service member who stretched across the back line of the end zone of the practice field, from sideline to sideline.

Running back Zach Charbonnet was the last one on the field still signing, 45 minutes after practice ended.

Extra points

▪ Tyler Lockett missed practice Tuesday after Macdonald said the 10th-year wide receiver was getting a veteran rest day off Monday. Lockett still caught passes sent out of a Jugs machine before and after practice.

▪ Guard Laken Tomlinson got what appeared to be a veteran rest day, the second one of those this camp for the 32-year-old who is entering his 10th NFL season.

▪ Christian Haynes, the rookie third-round pick, was on the starting offense at left guard. The two times Haynes has been with the starters is when Tomlinson has rested. Otherwise, Haynes has been the backup at right guard to Anthony Bradford.

▪ Defensive end Dre’Mont Jones missed his ninth consecutive practice with a hamstring injury.

▪ Starting inside linebacker Jerome Baker missed his fourth straight practice with a hamstring injury.

▪ Rookie fourth-round pick Tyrice Knight was again the starting inside, weakside linebacker next to middle linebacker Tyrel Dodson.

▪ Edge rusher Darrell Taylor remained out injured.