Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba becoming key offensive option

SEATTLE (AP) — Over his past two games, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has started to emerge as a key offensive option.

Smith-Njigba had his first 100-yard game in Week 2 against New England with 12 catches for 117 yards, but he saved his breakout performance for Week 9 when he had seven catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns in a home loss against the Los Angeles Rams.

Smith-Njigba broke the 100-yard mark again in his next game with 10 catches for 110 yards in Seattle’s win over San Francisco.

“It was just a matter of time,” Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf said. “Jaxon is a great receiver. It was just a matter of time before he really got his opportunity to shine, and I’m glad he did it in the fashion that he did.”

The Seahawks drafted Smith-Njigba 20th overall in 2023 after his standout career at Ohio State, where he had 95 receptions and 1,606 yards in his sophomore year.

He had a decent year as a rookie, with 63 receptions for 628 yards in 17 games. But through 10 games this season, he already has 678 yards on 60 catches while sharing targets with Metcalf and veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett.

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Lately, he has seemingly become quarterback Geno Smith’s go-to option, as he has led the team in targets each of the past two games.

“We’re always going to have stuff in the game plan where he’s the primary guy,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “You see some of the stuff that’s on time, or he’s getting the right spots. How we’re running some of the routes is able to free him up.”

Metcalf attributed a large part of Smith-Njigba’s recent success to his “nonchalant” style of play.

“That’s just how he plays the game. Very loose and ‘all right, I’m going to just be me out there,” Metcalf said. “I think that’s the best way to approach it, just be yourself and let the chips fall.”

Metcalf knew Smith-Njigba was special after watching him in just one game— the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2022, where Smith-Njigba had 347 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 48-45 win over Utah.

“That was all I need to see,” Metcalf said.

On Sunday, Smith-Njigba will get to see a familiar face from that game, when Arizona Cardinals rookie Marvin Harrison, Jr. comes to town. They were teammates for two seasons at Ohio State, and each of them caught three touchdowns in that epic Rose Bowl performance.

Smith-Njigba and Harrison are just a few of the group of Ohio State receivers currently playing in the NFL with the New York Jets’ Garrett Wilson and New Orleans Saints’ Chris Olave being a couple of other Buckeyes who have recently found success.

(We take) much pride,” Smith-Njigba said. “For the ones that are still there at Ohio State looking at us, or committed, we take much pride in that, to living up to the standard that the guys ahead of us had created.”

It’s a standard that Smith-Njigba seems intent on living up to in the NFL, too. Smith sees every day the talent that Smith-Njigba brings to the field, and raved after the young receiver’s 180 yard-performance against the Rams.

With these big performances coming in just his second season in the league, Smith sees big things ahead for his 22-year old teammate.

“He was all over the place,” Smith said. “He played with extreme fire. Shoot, he was just doing his thing. That’s who he is. We’ve got to continue to build on that. He’s a guy who is only going to get better and (I) really appreciate playing with him.”

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