Brock: Two Seahawks poised for big leaps in 2024

Sep 5, 2024, 10:05 AM | Updated: 10:29 am

Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks hauls in a one-handed catch during a 2023 game. (Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)

(Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)

BY ZAC HERETH

Seattle Sports

After months of waiting, the Seattle Seahawks are just days away from opening the 2024 season.

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With each new NFL season comes the opportunity for young players to take the next step in their careers, which the Seahawks have no shortage of candidates for. On Wednesday, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah pointed to running back Kenneth Walker III and outside linebacker Boye Mafe as players he believes will take that step forward.

With Jeremiah’s picks in mind, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard offered his own take on the two Seattle players he sees taking a leap under new head coach Mike Macdonald and his staff during the daily Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“I think I’d point to Charles Cross and Jaxon Smith-Njigba,” Huard said.

Left tackle Cross, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2022 draft, has had a promising start to his career through two seasons with the Seahawks. He immediately took over a starting role and played every offensive snap as a rookie. Cross then put together the best season among Seahawks offensive linemen with a grade of 67.6, according to Pro Football Focus, despite battling through a toe injury that forced him to miss three games early in the season. He’s in the third year of his rookie deal, which means the Seahawks will have to decide whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option after this season.

Wide receiver Smith-Njigba, the No. 20 overall pick last year, had a somewhat underwhelming rookie season with the Seahawks. He was the first receiver taken in the 2023 draft, but his 628 receiving yards ranked 10th among rookies – trailing eight wide receivers and two tight ends. However, Smith-Njigba dealt with a wrist injury last season, and he’ll be working in a new offense this year with Ryan Grubb calling the plays and former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron in Chicago. The Ohio State product was the team’s third receiver last season, but he could surpass veteran Tyler Lockett on the depth chart this season. Lockett, in his 10th NFL season, was limited throughout the preseason with a thigh injury.

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“(Lockett) was super limited all through training camp, in preseason games. The more I see of that means the more opportunity for Jaxon,” Huard said. “We didn’t get to see 100 snaps, 50 snaps in the preseason, but when I watched Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s urgency and his speed in the preseason, it was different than a year ago. … I don’t think he ever really loved Shane Waldron or this system and felt comfortable in it. I heard that after the season.”

Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.