How the Eagles’ secondary sizes up the Seahawks three-pronged receiving attack
DK Metcalf is their "main type of guy," Eli Ricks said. Tyler Lockett has been a formidable presence in the league for many years, and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a threat with the ball in his hands.
If the Eagles secondary is looking to catch a break after going up against a gauntlet of gifted wide receivers over the past few weeks, Monday won’t provide a respite.
The Seattle Seahawks (6-7) boast a talented trio of receivers that make offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s scheme go, in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Metcalf leads the team with 864 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 51 receptions, followed by Lockett’s 711 yards and four touchdowns on 65 catches, and Smith-Njigba’s 493 yards and two touchdowns on 49 receptions.
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“They’re solid across the board, so they’ve got plenty of threats,” cornerback James Bradberry said. “And it’s kind of hard to kind of shift your coverage to one guy because they have so many options. Really, all of them [are] explosive. That’s what really makes them so dangerous.”
If each of the three players lined up next to one another, cornerback Eli Ricks said, he wouldn’t necessarily peg them for being wide receivers based on body type alone. At 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, Metcalf has a hulking frame for a receiver, while the 5-10, 182-pound Lockett is relatively undersized for the position. Still, each player has specific skills that complement their respective roles in Seattle’s offense.
“We know DK’s their main type of guy,” Ricks said. “Lockett’s the more type of deep-threat type of guy, [No.] 16. And then we know [Smith-Njigba], their rookie, has the most targets on third down. So they kind of use them for different types of things. We’ll just know that going in.”
Metcalf uses his size to his advantage by playing with a physical edge, reminiscent of his former Ole Miss teammate, A.J. Brown, who is about three inches shorter and nine pounds lighter. Ricks said Metcalf’s ability to accumulate yards after the catch reminds him of Brown, although this season, Metcalf has less than half as many yards after the catch (281 yards, No. 46 in the league) as Brown does (425, No. 15). But that’s where the similarities end for Ricks.
According to Ricks, Metcalf tends to catch the ball by boxing defensive backs out with his frame, while Brown strictly uses his hands. Brown is better at beating corners at the line of scrimmage, but Metcalf plays with more physicality. Metcalf is tough to bring to the ground, leading Seahawks receivers with 13 missed tackles forced this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Meanwhile, Lockett adds an element of versatility to the Seahawks’ passing game, capable of lining up outside or in the slot. This season, Lockett has lined up outside on 63.3% of his pass snaps and in the slot on 36.5%. Additionally, Bradberry said the speedy Lockett is consistent. He’s caught 69.9% of his targets, and Bradberry noted that it can be rare for a smaller receiver to catch everything within his radius.
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While the Seahawks may be an uncommon opponent to the Eagles, who last played them in 2020, they’re not unfamiliar to defensive coordinator Sean Desai. He’s well-acquainted with the challenges Metcalf and Lockett present to opposing defenses after spending the 2022 season as the Seahawks’ associate head coach-defense.
“Both those guys are professionals and have such different traits in how they get open,” Desai said. “It was good to be able to see them in person and how they’re being coached and what they’re being taught. DK is big, fast, physical, and can have a big catch radius and win a lot of different ways on the field.
“Tyler, I said this when I got there, to me he was one of the most underrated wide receivers in the league. Really savvy in terms of how he can run routes and win to his leverage. He’s got a good catch radius for his size and quickness and speed as well.”
Smith-Njigba is the least targeted of the three receivers, but he’s dangerous with the ball in his hands. He leads Seahawks receivers in yards after the catch (319). The No. 20 overall pick in the 2023 draft, Smith-Njigba is their primary slot receiver, lining up in the slot on 69.8% of his pass snaps, per PFF.
Overall, the Eagles secondary has their work cut out for them, looking to bounce back after allowing an average of 299.3 passing yards per game in their last three contests (No. 31 in the NFL in that span). Bradberry is aware of mounting frustration from the fanbase, which culminated with a fan taping signs bearing Bradberry’s name and teammate Darius Slay’s onto metal trash cans outside of the NovaCare Complex on Monday following their 33-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
“We didn’t play well,” Bradberry said. “So, that’s how I look at it. He was just voicing his opinion.”
Regardless, with another formidable team in the Seahawks right around the corner, Bradberry said the Eagles are focused on responding the right way after consecutive losses.
“I feel like we’ve got a good veteran group,” Bradberry said. “So it starts off with the veterans coming in, always showing up to work. And then we’ve got some good young guys, too. Nobody really sits around and points their finger and tries to blame other people.
“We try to handle our own business, handle our own job, face ourselves in the mirror, whatever you want to call it. And just try to attack each and every day.”
The Eagles will visit the Seattle Seahawks in a Monday Night Football showdown. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lumen Field in Seattle.