Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba proving he’s an elite all-around WR

After a breakout 1,130-yard campaign last year, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has elevated his game to another level this fall.

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Smith-Njigba ranks second in the NFL in receiving yardage through the first five weeks of the season, having exploded out of the gates with 34 catches for 534 yards and two touchdowns. That makes him the first player in Seahawks history with 500-plus receiving yards through the first five games of a season.

Along the way, Smith-Njigba has delivered a slew of explosive plays. He has a league-high 10 receptions of 20-plus yards. He has a league-high four receptions of 40-plus yards. And he’s averaging 12.4 yards per target, which ranks second in the league.

JAXON
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Even more impressive? Smith-Njigba has done so while seeing his role shift considerably in Seattle’s new-look offense.

After being drafted as a first-round pick in 2023, Smith-Njigba spent his first two seasons operating out of the slot on 77% of his passing snaps and out wide on just 23%, according to Pro Football Focus.

But with Smith-Njigba no longer sharing the field with DK Metcalf, those numbers have completely flipped this year. Smith-Njigba has spent 77% of passing snaps out wide this season, compared to just 23% in the slot.

During his weekly appearance on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah highlighted Smith-Njigba’s ability to get open in a variety of different ways.

“He’s winning outside consistently, which has been fun to watch,” Jeremiah said. “Like, he might be the best slant route-runner in the NFL right now, just with all the different ways that he can win.

“You’ll see him on a slant and he just kind of gives you a two-hand shove, but it’s so short and quick that you don’t see it. So he can win with physicality there. And then he’ll hit you with a one-step slant, and he’s just won immediately. And then he can also show you some savvy where he can lean on you and get you to widen out and then cross your face.

“So that’s just one route – one example of a guy who can win a lot of different ways. And we knew because of his work in the slot previously, how much toughness he had to work in the middle of the field. So there’s not many guys doing everything that he can do. It’s been very impressive.”

Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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