The Seahawks player Huard wants to see get going in Week 2

After an up-and-down rookie season, there is an expectation from many that Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will take a leap forward during his second NFL campaign.

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However, the 2023 first-round pick was quiet in the Seahawks’ season opener against the Denver Broncos.

Smith-Njigba finished the game with just two receptions on two targets for 19 yards. The 22-year-old was the least targeted of the talented trio that leads Seattle’s wide receiver room, and he was also out-targeted by tight end Noah Fant and running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.

“I’d like to see Jaxon Smith-Njigba get more shots,” former NFL quarterback Brock Huard said during Blue 88 on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

Smith-Njigba, an Ohio State product who was the first wide receiver drafted in 2023, was on the field plenty during the Seahawks’ win over the Broncos. He played 53 snaps (79%) and trailed only DK Metcalf in that department among receivers, but it didn’t result in much production.

In fact, Tyler Lockett, a 31-year-old veteran who Smith-Njigba seemed primed to pass on the depth chart this year, hauled in six receptions on seven targets for 77 yards – all team highs – despite playing 17 fewer snaps.

“They are going to mix personnel. So the volume of plays is not as big a deal,” Huard said. “It’s just the ability to stretch (the defense) and capture more of his just dynamic athleticism that we saw at Ohio State, that we saw during OTAs.”

What Huard wants to see is Seattle use Smith-Njigba in more ways. As a rookie, he was largely used in the short passing game. He had just 24 targets further than 10 yards down the field and had the 11th-shortest average route depth among receivers at 9.8 yards, per FanDuel.

Both of the second-year receiver’s targets came on passes caught five yards or less beyond the line scrimmage against the Broncos, and he didn’t have a target after the first quarter.

“I would like to see Jaxon get an opportunity to do what Tyler does – to just stretch the field a little bit,” Huard said. “And obviously Tyler and (quarterback) Geno (Smith) have some kind of special chemistry, and I don’t want to limit Tyler to just promote Jaxon. I’d like to just see both of them get a shot. I’d like to see him maybe even get some one-on-one contested opportunities like DK got multiple contested opportunities, because I think he’s got amazing body control, tremendous hands, and I would just like to see him get the ball beyond five yards in the air. I hope that happens this weekend.”

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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