Analyst: How Seahawks are using JSN differently in Grubb’s scheme

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a popular pick to have a breakout season this fall.

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As a rookie in 2023, Smith-Njigba came through in some big moments but didn’t quite make the type of impact many expected when he was drafted with the No. 20 overall pick of the NFL Draft out of Ohio State. One of the criticisms was his usage in former Seattle offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s scheme, which had Smith-Njigba running a lot of shorter routes near the line of scrimmage.

Under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, many believe Smith-Njigba’s talents can be better utilized. That line of thought was furthered by CBS and NFL Network analyst Charles Davis, who was in Nashville last week for the Seahawks’ joint practices with the Tennessee Titans.

“I don’t know what was happening last year,” Davis said Monday during an appearance on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “And I’m not criticizing. But every time I saw Jaxon Smith-Njigba make a catch, whether I saw it in a game I did or in other games, I thought he was within five yards of the line of scrimmage. I was like, ‘At some point, he’s gonna get downfield, right?’ And I saw that in Nashville. I saw that in the joint practices.”

Unlocking JSN

The numbers back up the assertion that Smith-Njigba wasn’t used much as a downfield threat last season. According to Pro Football Focus, he had an average depth of target of just 6.4 yards. That ranked 77th out of the 80 receivers across the league who had at least 50 targets.

But when Smith-Njigba was targeted downfield, he was effective. According to PFF, he was targeted 11 times on passes that traveled at least 20 yards. He hauled in six of those passes – which is an above-average rate for throws of that distance – for 170 yards and three touchdowns. That included his game-winning 29-yard TD catch against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football in Week 15, when he beat veteran cornerback James Bradberry on a vertical route down the sideline.

Lock to JSN for the lead!

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“It wasn’t really until the Monday night game that we got to see him hit a vertical,” former NFL quarterback Brock Huard said later in Monday’s show. “… I think by and large, you look at the spray chart, you look at what was asked of Jaxon, you look at a lot of the area and territory that he had to roam in, and it was not threatening. It was a lot of underneath stuff. It was a lot of quick outs. It was a lot of flats. It was a lot of mesh. It was a lot of option routes. But this dude is much more than that.”

Huard pointed to a highlight clip he saw from last week’s joint practices with the Titans.

“Jaxon ran a double move,” Huard said. “It was kind of a high red-zone drill, one-on-one. And he ran a little post-corner-post. And Geno (Smith) threw that ball when Jaxon was still on the corner component of it, before he ever broke in again. And I mean, it was Montana-to-Rice beauty. It was like, ‘Wow, you just can’t do it better than that.’ That trust factor between those two guys? Off the charts. Off the charts as far as where they were even a season ago.”

Smith-Njigba could also benefit from the attention fellow Seahawks receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will garner. The two veteran wideouts have combined for seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons over the past five years.

“I think Geno knows that within this system, (Smith-Njigba) is valuable,” Huard said. “DK, (teams have to) deal with him and all his power. Lockett? You’re gonna deal with all of his craftiness. But Jaxon is the one that could really unlock this deal.”

Hear the full conversation with Charles Davis at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Brock Huard’s reaction to what Davis said at this link or in the audio player near the middle of this story.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Is the tune changing on Seahawks’ Sam Howell with preseason showing?
• What we learned from the Seahawks’ second preseason game
• Instant observations from Seattle Seahawks’ preseason loss to Titans

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