Tag: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Updated Seahawks WR depth chart after Laviska Shenault signing

The Seahawks have added to what was already the best wide receiver room in professional football.

The Seahawks have added to what was already the best wide receiver room in professional football. On Tuesday Seattle announced the signing of former Jaguars and Panthers receiver/kickoff returner Laviska Shenault Jr., bringing in another intriguing and versatile weapon for Ryan Grubb to employ in his first year as offensive coordinator.

Right now it’s tough to tell exactly what head coach Mike Macdonald has in mind for Year 1, but let’s see if we can guess what the team’s wide receiver depth chart looks like after adding Shenault.

  • DK Metcalf
  • Jaxon Smith-Njigba
  • Tyler Lockett
  • Jake Bobo
  • Leviska Shenault
  • Dareke Young
  • Dee Eskridge
  • Cody White
  • Easop Winston Jr.

Shenault is undoubtedly a better athlete than Bobo, but he’s also more likely to make an impact on special teams, where the Seahawks have a dearth of options at kick returner. With DeeJay Dallas gone the only other kickoff returner from last season still on the team is Eskridge, who is far from a sure thing for obvious reasons.

Unless one of them gets injured, we expect the only receivers to see significant targets as Metcalf, Lockett, JSN and Bobo.

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Last week just before free agency began Tyler Lockett agreed to a restructured contract.

Last week just before free agency began Tyler Lockett agreed to a restructured contract. Now we finally have contract details for Lockett’s new deal with the Seahawks.

According to Spotrac it’s a two-year, $29.66 million deal. That amounts to a big pay cut for Lockett, which saved the team $8.34 million in salary cap space in 2024. Lockett gets $12.66 million guaranteed, all this year.

A key date to watch for Lockett is exactly one year from today. On March 18, 2025 Lockett’s $5.3 million roster bonus hits the books. Painful as it is to contemplate, chances are that he will be cut for cap savings before that happens – no matter how he performs in 2024.

Speaking of next season, we should probably expect Lockett’s role to shrink a bit in Year 1 of Ryan Grubb’s offense compare to Shane Waldron’s. Jaxon Smith-Njigba should be projected to get more targets, bumping Lockett down to the WR3 spot on the depth chart.

Seahawks fans need to savor what is likely their last season watching Lockett, who will finish as the second-greatest wide receiver in franchise history behind Steve Largent.

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Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba turns 22 years old today

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has taken over a roster that has a lot going for it, including a youth movement.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has taken over a roster that has a lot going for it, including a youth movement.

One of their most-promising young players is wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who turns 22 years old today. Here’s a look at what JSN put up in his rookie season in Seattle:

Recently Smith-Njigba has made headlines for criticzing former Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who’s now with the Bears. JSN seems to have been frustrated with the offense’s production under Waldron, claiming that the unit left a lot of yards on the field. While it’s rare to hear a player openly complain about a former coach like this, Smith-Njigba has it exactly right on that account. Even with a poor offensive line, Seattle’s offense had more than enough talent to finish top 10 in scoring, but wound up finishing the season in the middle of the pack.

Then again, odds are JSN’s real beef is with his targets. For much of the early part of the season he was rarely utilized beyond the line of scrimmage, which put a very low ceiling on his numbers. His breakout game didn’t come until Week 6 when he scored his first touchdown and put up 63 yards. That number also ended up being his season high, though – more damning evidence that JSN was misused by Waldron. Smith-Njigba was arguably the top wide receiver in the entire 2023 draft class and could have put up much greater numbers if he’d been given the opportunity.

To be fair, the Seahawks offense has a lot of mouths to feed, including two stars at JSN’s position. The good news is that new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb ran a ton of three-receiver sets at Washington and Smith-Njigba can bank on his role growing significantly in 2024.

However, the x-factor may be just how much Seattle’s offensive line improves this offseason. While the Huskies had one of the best pass blocking lines in the nation last year, the Seahawks were one of the NFL’s worst teams in that department. Waldron had little choice but to use tight ends frequently as extra blockers, which limited JSN’s snaps.

Of course that’s exactly the kind of challenge that good coordinators are supposed to overcome at this level. That Waldron was unable to smoothly integrate a talent like Smith-Njigba is one of many reasons why it was the right move to go in a different direction.

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba gives super-awkward endorsement of Shane Waldron

Put on the spot, JSN tried to give an endorsement of Waldron’s playcalling, but it came out really weird.

It’s Super Bowl week, which means a lot of players around the NFL are in Las Vegas doing their rounds at Radio Row. These are opportunities to hear from players in less formal settings than press conferences after games, and sometimes we get treated to rare premium content.

That was the case yesterday when a Bears podcast hosted Seahawks rookie wide receiver Jaxon-Smith Njigba and asked him what former Seattle offensive coordinator Shane Waldron can do to get Chicago’s offense going. Put on the spot, JSN tried to give an endorsement of Waldron’s playcalling, but it came out really weird. Watch.

A few thoughts: For one thing, rookies around the league need to be given more media training. Waldron isn’t a terrible playcaller by any means, but there’s a reason why he made a lateral move as an OC rather than getting interest for head coach positions. As for JSN, one can understand some of his frustration. For the first half of the season, he was almost never used anywhere beyond the line of scrimmage.

Whoever the next Seahawks offensive coordinator is, he’ll have a tough task of trying to distribute targets in an offense with so many mouths to feed. However, a bigger role for Smith-Njigba should be a guarantee if the new OC knows what he’s doing.

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Canaan Smith-Njigba is an outfielder who was most recently with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

The City of Seattle clearly enjoyed having one Smith-Njigba play for one of their teams so much they decided to bring in another. Seahawks rising star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will have some family in town, as the Mariners just signed his brother, Canaan Smith-Njigba, to the team.

Canaan Smith-Njigba is an outfielder who was most recently with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, where he made his MLB debut. The Pirates designated Smith-Njigba for assignment, and it seems he has found his next MLB home.

The connection between the Smith-Njigba family and Mariners star outfielder Julio Rodriguez is certainly noticed. Julio raised the 12th Man Flag for the Seahawks game versus the Steelers this past December, and he had an extended interaction with JSN on the sidelines.

Clearly, Julio was a fan of the move to sign JSN’s brother Canaan, and shared his excitement on his Instagram story.

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Jaxon Smith-Njigba has awkward endorsement for new Bears OC Shane Waldron

Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba raised eyebrows with his thoughts on new Bears OC Shane Waldron in an interview with CHGO Bears.

New Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron has drawn mostly positive reviews in the two weeks since he was hired after three years with the Seattle Seahawks, but one of his former players didn’t exactly give him a ringing endorsement when given the opportunity.

Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, along with New Orleans Saints receiver Chris Olave, joined CHGO Bears on Wednesday at Super Bowl LVIII radio row and was asked by Mark Carman about his former offensive coordinator. Smith-Njigba had an interesting response, to say the least. “Um, this is live?” he said somewhat nervously after a long pause. Smith-Njigba then claimed he was joking before giving his answer. “Good luck to you all; he’s a great person, great offensive coordinator. I was very lucky to get to have him my first year. Learned a lot from him.”

Smith-Njigba finished his answer saying Waldron and quarterback Justin Fields would be a great fit together if he remains the quarterback in 2024. “I think he and Justin will mesh well, and adding more guys around him will be great, so we’ll see. He’s going to love Justin.” Smith-Njigba and Fields were teammates in college back in 2020.

Smith-Njigba spent just one season with Waldron while getting acclimated to the NFL, but his initial hesitation to say something at the beginning is telling. The Seahawks offense sputtered at times in 2023, finishing with the 21st-ranked scoring offense in the league with a 9-8 overall record. Smith-Njigba had a modest debut after Seattle drafted him in the first round, catching 63 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns while playing behind veteran receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Smith-Njigba’s 628 receiving yards were 10th-most among rookie pass catchers.

Only Smith-Njigba truly knows how he feels about Waldron, but his hesitancy to endorse him off the bat will certainly raise some eyebrows.

First half highlights: Seahawks trail Steelers 17-14

For a third straight week, the Seahawks trail at half

The Seattle Seahawks are locked in a tight one with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unlike the last two games, the Seahawks actually have a few highlights from the first half worth sharing!

Pittsburgh got things rolling when on their second possession of the game they went 85 yards in 14 plays, killing nearly eight full minutes from the clock to take a 7-0 lead. The Seahawks answered the call immediately, and started off on the right foot thanks to this completion to DK Metcalf.

Two plays later, Kenneth Walker III scampered in untouched for a 13-yard touchdown to get the Seahawks on the board.

The Steelers retook the lead with a field goal on their next drive, but the Seahawks answered once more. This time, Geno Smith found rookie sensation Jaxon Smith-Njigba on third down for the second touchdown of the day.

Unfortunately, the Seahawks immediately surrendered a touchdown drive to Pittsburgh. Neither team has seemed particularly interested in slowing down the other, leading to makings of a rather unexcepted shootout. After holding the Steelers to a turnover on downs on their first drive, Pittsburgh went on to score on their next three straight possessions. The only other time they did not score was on their final possession before the first half expired.

The Seahawks will get the ball to start the third quarter. Be sure to follow @TheSeahawksWire on Twitter for live updates during the game.

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Geno Smith: Jaxon Smith-Njigba is ‘getting better every week’

The Seahawks will need JSN at full go to help this offense if they want to finish strong and qualify for the playoffs. 

It has been a slow build for Seattle Seahawks first round rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. As the first receiver of the 2023 NFL draft, expectations for JSN naturally skyrocketed. But a rather slow start to his career left some wondering.

Now, those who watched the games could see he has two receivers in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett ahead of him in the depth chart. Not to mention the injuries the offensive line which left Seattle to run a more run-oriented, conservative offense early on. Nevertheless, there was still concern.

However, that concern is starting to fade rapidly. JSN has now caught two game winning touchdowns in the final minute, and is becoming a far more integral member of this offense. He has all the confidence of his quarterback, Geno Smith, who spoke about his progress each week. Per Mike Dugar at the Athletic:

“He’s getting better every single week… I love the way that he’s preparing in practice. He’s working extremely hard in practice. He’s getting better every single day in practice. He’s really getting more comfortable in the offense, just learning his assignments, the routes, the depths, all the things that we talked about him being great at. Obviously, he’s a natural receiver when it comes to catching the football and making plays.”

The Seahawks are facing two must-win games. The Steelers and the always frisky Cardinals. On paper, Seattle should be favored. But this is the NFL, and nothing can be expected. The Seahawks will need JSN at full go to help this offense if they want to finish strong and qualify for the playoffs.

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DK Metcalf: ‘Big wave of confidence’ flowing through Seahawks HQ

Metcalf is now up to 942 yards and seven touchdowns on the season with three games to go.

Bobby Wagner got it exactly right last week when he was asked about the Seahawks’ problems as they were mired in a four-game losing streak – saying that winning cures all problems. On Monday night Seattle did just that, upsetting the reigning NFC champion Eagles at home 20-17 thanks to a game-winning drive from Drew Lock and two clutch interceptions by Julian Love, who win Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

Now the energy for the fanbase and the team has done a total 180-degree turn from last week. Heading into Sunday’s road game against the Titans, there’s renewed hope for what this team can achieve in 2023. During his press conference on Wednesday DK Metcalf told the media that there’s a wave of confidence flowing through the VMAC in Renton.

Metcalfhas as much reason to feel confident as any player in the building right now. After being shut down for most of the game Metcalf caught three passes on Drew Lock’s last drive, including a 34-yarder against double coverage that put the Seahawks in position for the game-winning touchdown by rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Asked which one of his three catches was his favorite, Metcalf deferred and said JSN’s was his favorite.

Metcalf’s catch rate is still a bit low – he’s caught 56 of 99 targets – but his other stats are creeping up fast. He’s now up to 942 yards and seven touchdowns on the season with three games to go.

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