RENTON, Wash. -- As the Seattle Seahawks were rebuilding their wide receiver corps this offseason after trading DK Metcalf and releasing Tyler Lockett, an obvious question emerged: Does that group have enough playmakers?
The question lingered once they waited until Day 3 of the draft to add to the position after signing veterans Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency, and it became more pronounced as Valdes-Scantling underwhelmed in training camp to the point that he was released on cut-down day.
The question now stares the Seahawks in the face.
When they play Metcalf and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium (1 p.m. ET, Fox), they'll do so coming off a season-opening loss in which they got a huge day from Jaxon Smith-Njigba but not much else from any of quarterback Sam Darnold's other pass catchers.
"You can definitely spread it around, but Jax has had a really good camp, and he was getting open, Sam was finding him," offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said. "But we do have a lot of good targets that we can get the ball to and do a better job of that."
No one doubts Smith-Njigba's virtues as the Seahawks' WR1, but the 17-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers did nothing to quell the concern that, with Metcalf gone, Seattle's receiver corps doesn't have enough threats beyond its primary option.
All we know for now is how the Seahawks got here.
Their decision to trade Metcalf was not a case of second-year head coach Mike Macdonald wanting to move on from a long-tenured player in order to build a roster full of "his guys."
In fact, as Macdonald was looking for an offensive coordinator to replace Ryan Grubb in January, Metcalf was top of mind, with the coach asking each candidate about his vision for the star receiver. Macdonald felt that Kubiak's system would fit Metcalf well, with its condensed splits giving him plenty of free releases, and with his physical style checking an important box for an offense that asks its receivers to be factors in run blocking.
But Metcalf was up for a contract extension, and he had been unhappy.
As ESPN reported in April, Metcalf had asked to be traded multiple times in recent offseasons before he did so again in March, this time allowing his request to go public. The Seahawks were planning for Metcalf to be a part of their future, and they still had six months to work out an extension before the season would begin.
But in addition to the risk of a massive third contract, general manager John Schneider also had to weigh the downside of reinvesting in someone who was perpetually discontented. Among the reasons for Metcalf's unhappiness was that he had clashed with Geno Smith, according to sources familiar with their relationship. That led to some thought in the organization that Smith's trade to the Las Vegas Raiders would soften the receiver's stance.
But Metcalf still wanted out.
"DK and I were having a lot of personal discussions," Schneider said after the trade. "I thought we could fix it, handle it, whatever it was, and at the end of the day, it was a no, and he wanted to be traded. So we pivoted and moved forward. We want guys who want to be here, we want guys that believe in what we're doing, and you'd have to ask him, one reason or another, he just wanted to move on and get a fresh start."
According to sources familiar with the situation, Metcalf effectively nixed a trade to New England, making it known that he wouldn't sign an extension with the Patriots; his preferred landing spots were the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers.
The Seahawks sent Metcalf to Pittsburgh for the 52nd pick and a swap of late-round selections after the Steelers agreed to sign him to a four-year, $132 million extension that included $80 million in guarantees.
With the money they didn't spend on Metcalf, the Seahawks signed Kupp (three years, $45 million), hoping the former Super Bowl MVP can stay healthy at age 32 after a series of injuries that led to his release from the Los Angeles Rams.
Whereas Kupp's skill set has plenty of carryover to that of Smith-Njigba, two receivers who have primarily operated out of the slot, the 30-year-old Valdes-Scantling (one year, $4 million) was signed to help replace some of the speed that Seattle lost by trading Metcalf. Valdes-Scantling was also reuniting with Kubiak after spending the second half of last season playing for the coordinator with the New Orleans Saints.
But neither that connection nor Valdes-Scantling's speed translated to playmaking over the summer. While he was a nonfactor in training camp, rookie Tory Horton shined, beating out the veteran for the No. 3 job despite missing the final two preseason games with an ankle injury.
Horton wasn't targeted on any of his 28 offensive snaps against the 49ers. Kupp caught two passes for 15 yards, with his only other target resulting in a drop on third down, though his day could have been much more productive. Kupp drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone, extending the drive that would end with the Seahawks' only touchdown. He was also wide open near the goal line on Seattle's final offensive play, when Nick Bosa sealed San Francisco's win with a strip sack of Darnold.
The Seahawks' tight end duo of AJ Barner and rookie second-round pick Elijah Arroyo give the passing game more threats, but they combined to catch only two passes for 7 yards on three targets in the opener. Running back Kenneth Walker III (three targets, three receptions, 4 yards) was also a nonfactor as a receiver.
With virtually the entire passing game on Smith-Njigba's shoulders, he finished with nine catches for 124 yards on 13 targets.
"I think after looking back at it, that's where the ball should've gone," Macdonald said. "We have plays designed for other people as well, but I think you're looking at a combination of Jax playing at a high level, being in a position where Sam can pull the trigger wherever he's at in the progression. But the ball will find its way around. I'm convinced of that."
Darnold confirmed that Smith-Njigba's massive target share was a function of where the quarterback's reads told him to throw the ball.
"That's just kind of how it worked out," he said. "A lot of games are different. Sometimes they're going to do things to take Jax, take Coop, take some other guys away from us, and so other guys have got to be on their p's and q's in terms of being able to beat one-on-one coverage. That's kind of what we're looking at this week, and it's going to be a fun challenge for us."
Jake Bobo, Seattle's fourth receiver, didn't play with a concussion but appears to be on track to make his season debut against Pittsburgh.
Metcalf, who had four catches for 82 yards in his Steelers season-opening win, downplayed Sunday's matchup against his former team as "just another football game."
Whether or not it's a so-called revenge game for anyone involved with Metcalf's messy exit from Seattle, it will be another early indication of how well the Seahawks are equipped to replace him.