Seahawks Training Camp: Jaxon Smith-Njigba is putting on a show
Rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is facing lofty expectations for his first season with the Seahawks. The early signs from training camp suggest he is primed to meet them. Smith-Njigba, who has been backed by many for a breakout rookie year in Seattle, made the standout play of Thursday's practice, reeling in a downfield shot […]
Rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is facing lofty expectations for his first season with the Seahawks.
The early signs from training camp suggest he is primed to meet them.
Smith-Njigba, who has been backed by many for a breakout rookie year in Seattle, made the standout play of Thursday's practice, reeling in a downfield shot from Geno Smith with one hand and strolling into the endzone for a 40-yard touchdown.
It was a play that was testament to his ball-tracking skills and ability to get open at all levels of the field, and it had Smith — last season’s Comeback Player of the Year —purring about the former Ohio State star's potential impact in year one.
Per Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic, Smith said:
“That was sweet. Jaxon, he’s made so many great plays. That’s just who he is. It’s just great for us as a team to have guys like him on our side. He can do it all, man. He’s a great player. Jaxon is one of those guys who if you put him out there one-on-one he’s going to win his battles. We’ve been seeing that so far. We were a really good offense last year. We did a lot of great things. Jaxon is an addition to that."
Smith-Njigba took a screen pass for a first down on Wednesday. That may have been a less spectacular play, but it could be as significant for a Seahawks offense that did not have that string to their bow in 2022.
Seattle, per Sports Info Solutions, ranked 31st in EPA on screen passes. Smith-Njigba, with the elusiveness he displayed with the ball in his hands, can greatly improve the Seahawks' fortunes in that aspect of the passing game.
His aptitude for creating big plays downfield should also be a huge asset to a Seahawks passing attack that was only tied 14th in passing plays of 20 yards or more despite Smith's impressive accuracy when pushing the ball deep.
Even with their struggles in the screen game and their mediocre performance in terms of explosive passing plays, the Seahawks' offense still finished 11th in EPA per dropback.
Playing in the same offense as two attention-sapping playmakers in D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, Smith-Njigba has the skillset to give Seattle a jolt in both those areas of the passing game and push their aerial attack towards the NFL's elite.
There's no guarantee of padless practices translating to gameday, but at this point Smith-Njigba looks to be everything Seahawks were hoping for as their new starting slot receiver.
Seahawks Training Camp: Jarran Reed making unexpected position switch in 2023
It’s an eyebrow-raising move that could backfire.
Featured Image Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
