Do the Seattle Seahawks have a wide receiver problem? Before you laugh this off, just consider the first five games this season. I think they might, and the numbers so far back it up. 

Seattle is 3-2 and has dropped two very winnable games, including Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers and a defeat to the Washington Commanders a couple of weeks earlier. Coming off a Super Bowl season, that start is a little concerning. Losses like those always bring out the overreactions, and that’s not what I’m doing here. With that being said, one stat about Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba tells you a lot about where this passing game stands.

One receiver is carrying the Seahawks’ passing game

Per Sumer Sports:

“Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s 583 receiving yards are 49% of the Seahawks’ total in that category this season. It is the highest concentration for a single player on any team this season and the highest through 5 games for any team since at least 2016.”

That’s not just a lot. That’s historic. And yes, it’s a huge credit to the caliber of player that Smith-Njigba is. He’s attempting to cement himself as the best player in the National Football League. 

The catch numbers paint the same picture. Smith-Njigba has 37 receptions on the Seahawks’ 99 total completions. More than a third of Seattle’s completed passes have gone to one guy.

The Seahawks have problems on both sides of the ball, but the offense has struggled at times through the air. Now, QB Sam Darnold has missed some throws. Drew Lock missed some throws as well when he was in there. That happens. The bigger issue is what’s happening around JSN.

The rest of the Seahawks’ WR room has gone quiet

Wide receiver Cooper Kupp and tight end AJ Barner have both barely eclipsed 100 yards through five games. Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed isn’t even there yet, sitting at 96 yards. None of those three players has been targeted more than 20 times. Barner has 20 targets, Shaheed has 19, and Kupp has 15.

Outside of Smith-Njigba, there is no consistent threat in this passing attack. As good as JSN is, I do not know if this is sustainable over a full season. Obviously, that can change, which is why I’m not hitting the panic button. So far, though, it hasn’t been great.

The play-calling adds another layer. Seattle has leaned on the ground game at least as much as the passing game, with 139 runs to 147 passes. The run game hasn’t been great either, but that’s mostly because Jadarian Price landed on IR and has played in only three games, while Zach Charbonnet has yet to suit up. This offense is fixable. I think when Charbonnet and Price are back out there, we will see it take a different form.

If you’ve watched the NFL for a decent amount of time, or football for that matter, you know how important the run game is for an offense. Seattle hasn’t been able to lean on it yet in 2026, and it’s just how things go sometimes. You can’t predict injuries, they just happen. 

Someone has to step up next to Jackson Smith-Njigba

Regardless of the run game, the Seahawks need a second option to emerge. Look at the candidates.

Kupp is a solid player. He’s older, but he’s sure-handed and knows how to get open in the slot. The question is how consistent he can be for an entire season. Shaheed has an elite skill set with his speed and explosiveness. Can he handle the down-in, down-out work an every-down receiver needs to do?

Barner is someone I thought could become a consensus top-10 tight end after this season. Now he has to step up and make those plays. Heck, should Seattle turn to Montorie Foster Jr., who had an excellent preseason? I don’t know.

What I do know is that someone in that room other than Smith-Njigba has to become a consistent threat. And if they can’t, John Schneider has to go get someone who can. JSN is going to be the Seahawks’ top receiver all season, as he should be. But if Seattle wants a more potent passing attack for Darnold in 2026, another weapon has to show up.

This offense won’t reach its ceiling until one does.