Commentary: DK Metcalf keeps reputation intact with helmet throw at Seahawks practice

RENTON, Wash. – There was a scuffle between cornerback Tre Brown and receiver Jake Bobo, which seemed to kick off the frenzy of fisticuffs. Tight end Pharoah Brown and linebacker Tyrel Dodson began shoving later after Brown took exception to Dodson’s hit on running back Kenneth Walker III.

Receiver Dee Eskridge and cornerback Carlton Johnson seemed to be on the brink of blows later on, then offensive lineman Phil Haynes and linebacker Derick Hall were ejected after a one-on-one drill prompted a scuffle between the two.

If you wanted a day when the NFL met the UFC, Wednesday’s Seahawks practice might have been your best bet among all the teams in training camp this summer. But there was one skirmish that stood out that involved an all-too-familiar name.

DK Metcalf.

The Seahawks receiver has garnered a reputation for his tendency to elicit 15-yard flags. He led all NFL receivers in penalties in 2021 with seven, three of which were for 15 yards. In 2022, he led all receivers in penalties, three of which were for 15 yards. And through the first five games of last season, he had accumulated five penalties, four of which were for 15 yards.

This sparked a memorable news conference in which a defiant Metcalf dismissed any concerns about his penalty propensity. Asked a question about then-coach Pete Carroll putting his name atop the list of the most-penalized Seahawks on a board, Metcalf responded: “It’s just a board to me. I’m not going to change the way I play. I mean, if you look at the penalties, there’s a taunting, an unnecessary roughness, face mask, holding, and I think it was one more in there. So I’m doing pretty good if I look at it and judge myself.”

It seemed to signal that Metcalf was just getting started on his flag compilation. Only thing is, he was not penalized again for the rest of the season.

Defiant for a day, disciplined for the rest of the season. But that didn’t reset his rep. And after Wednesday, that rep remains intact.

About 10 minutes after the Bobo-Tre Brown altercation, and maybe a minute or two after Dodson and Pharoah Brown went at it, Metcalf and Tre got involved in an end-zone confrontation. Metcalf had been blocking downfield away from the ball, and Brown appeared to have been angered, continuing his dispute with Metcalf well after the whistle. That’s when Metcalf grabbed Brown’s helmet off his head and threw it Tre’s way, hitting safety K’Von Wallace in the process.

Nobody was hurt, and coach Mike Macdonald stopped practice and gathered the team afterward. It should also be noted that Tre punched Bobo squarely in the face earlier, which might have influenced Metcalf’s reaction. Although this might simply be a training-camp tussle that won’t carry over to the regular season, it’s that much more concerning when No. 14 is involved. Again, we’re talking about a helmet being hurled at a helmetless player.

Funny enough, Metcalf was asked a question about his in-game antics exactly one week earlier. Blogger Brian Nemhauser brought up how 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan had told his defense to target Metcalf to try to get a response out of him.

Metcalf’s response?

“He’s (Shanahan) worried about me, and (there’s) 10 other people on the field (that) he needs to worry about, so he has bigger fish to fry, in my opinion.”

Nemhauser later asked Metcalf if he was trying to get better at anything during the offseason.

“Trying to control what I say in the media when they don’t ask me good questions,” he said. “Yeah, working on my responses there. Still needs work.”

Again, Metcalf did not commit a single penalty – let alone a personal foul – after Week 5 of last season. And you would like to think he has the presence of mind to know that what he can get away with in practice simply wouldn’t fly in a game.

The helmet throw Wednesday likely would have meant a suspension for several weeks (see: Myles Garrett doing the same thing to Mason Rudolph in 2019), but will likely have minimal consequences in this case. But Metcalf is also the guy who got ejected after throwing a punch at a Green Bay Packer in 2021. He was the guy who shoved the Bengals’ Cam Taylor-Britt to the ground after the whistle last season. Metcalf’s high jinks cooled after Week 5 of last season, but his head is still hot.

What we saw Wednesday may foreshadow nothing and be forgotten in the next week or so. Or it could be a harbinger of something regrettable this regular season. Metcalf’s penalty-prone reputation may no longer reflect the player he is, but it’s a reputation he earned and isn’t one that’s fading.