Bump: Seahawks should take page from Dolphins to get JSN going
Sep 27, 2023, 3:27 PM
Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks runs after a catch on Sept. 24, 2023. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks attacked the passing game with each of their first-round picks this year.
An easy tweak to Seattle Seahawks’ offense that Bumpus wants to see
At No. 5 overall, the Hawks added cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who has started each of the last two games and is coming off a big Week 3 performance against the Carolina Panthers.
At No. 20, the Seahawks took wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was the talk of offseason practices.
So far through three games, Smith-Njigba has nine catches but for just 57 yards. His longest reception has gone for 16 yards.
So what can the Seahawks do to get JSN going in the passing game, especially when it comes to more explosive plays? Former NFL receiver Michael Bumpus said the Seahawks should look at the NFL’s most explosive offense.
“You do what the Dolphins are doing,” Bumpus said during Tuesday’s Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports.
The 3-0 Dolphins, led by head coach and offensive play-caller Mike McDaniel, are averaging over 43 points per game in large part because of a 70-20 blowout win over the Denver Broncos.
Miami has a great running game, but they also have some dynamic receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
“He should be your motion guy. He should be the guy who you never really know what to expect from him,” Bumpus said of Smith-Njigba. “You have a profile on (Tyler) Lockett, you’ve got a profile on DK (Metcalf) – you know what they’re good at, you know what they need to improve on. Because he’s so young and fresh, people don’t really know what he brings to the table … JSN should be that guy for the Seahawks. You should put him in motion and get him the ball while he’s in motion, send him out to the flats, put him on a screen … More of that.”
Bumpus called JSN an “unconventional type of receiver.”
“He doesn’t have a role. His role is everything,” he said. “And as you look at how these offenses are evolving throughout the years and whatnot, one thing is true: If you can run the football, have good tight end play and throw in screens and mix it up every now and then, you’ll be fine. The Hawks are struggling with the screens, right? So use JSN as that guy. Be creative with him. Be vanilla with Lockett and DK because we know that they understand coverages and how to get open. But with JSN, you need that Dolphins mentality.”
Listen to the second hour of Tuesday’s Bump and Stacy at this link or in the player near the top of this story.
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