Seahawks Expect Brighter Days Ahead for Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The Seattle Seahawks' second-year wideout is coming off his quietest game of the season.

Jon Alfano | Oct 25, 2024

Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) throws a pass against the Atlanta Falcons in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba may be one of the most enigmatic players on the roster.

The No. 20 overall pick in last year's draft, Smith-Njigba was a popular pick to take a second-year leap. A 117-yard performance against the New England Patriots in Week 2 looked like a sign of things to come, but since then, he's caught just 23 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown in five games. Most recently, he had three catches for a season-low nine yards in Sunday's win over the Atlanta Falcons.

If he continues on his current pace, Smith-Njigba would finish the season with 775 receiving yards. That would be a mild improvement over the 628 yards he had as a rookie but not quite the leap that many were hoping for.

Still, the Seahawks have full confidence in the former Ohio State star and believe he will show his play-making ability soon.

"You leave games, and you kind of feel guys throughout game. JSN is a guy I feel throughout the game, his presence, run game, play-action game, drop back game, third down stuff," head coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday. "I think it's a mixture of both. I think our staff does a great job of kind of building plays for Geno (Smith) to be able to read out and not force the ball to any particular people, but also bounce it out and design plays for all of our guys where they feel like they are an important part of the game plan. And Jax, I think he's doing a great job. Ball will find him. Those plays will find him and he'll continue to make a big impact for us."

The Seahawks have the best passing offense in the league in terms of yardage, but on the receiving end, it's mostly been DK Metcalf leading the way. Smith-Njigba and veteran Tyler Lockett have been solid complementary pieces, but most would expect some more balance between the top three wideouts.

Smith-Njigba is still an immensely talented player who set records in college, but the Seahawks hope to see some big strides soon.