Is Jaxon Smith-Njigba Ready To Become Seahawks' WR2?

Seattle Seahawks sophomore wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba enjoyed a breakout performance in Sunday's 23-20 Week 2 overtime victory over the New England Patriots. Smith-Njigba recorded career highs in receptions (12), targets (16), and receiving yards (117). It was the first time he surpassed 10 receptions and 100 receiving yards in any single game in his short NFL tenure thus far.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb clearly made getting Smith-Njigba involved a priority. He was an afterthought in the team's Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos, being limited to two catches for 19 yards. Grubb made the necessary adjustments to get his second-year playmaker involved.

Veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett was on the injury report with a thigh injury leading up to Sunday. He was a limited participant in Wednesday's and Thursday's practice sessions. The soon-to-be-32-year-old Lockett is an aging asset and it's time for Smith-Njigba to be Geno Smith’s second-most targeted weapon in the passing game. That's precisely what happened on Sunday.

With Lockett playing through an ailment, Smith centered his attention on Smith-Njigba and D.K. Metcalf. As a duo, they combined for 22 receptions, 246 yards, and 102 yards after the catch. Smith-Njigba and Metcalf became the first Seahawks duo in franchise history with 10-plus catches and 100-plus receiving yards in a single game.

Smith routinely looked Smith-Njigba’s way when he needed a big-time conversion. With 327 passing yards, this was one of Smith’s best performances in a Seahawks uniform. On this 3rd-and-7 in the second half, he does an outstanding job throwing Smith-Njigba open with anticipation in between three Patriots defenders.

Smith-Njigba was consistently open and available for Smith. Next Gen Stats credits him with creating an average of 2.92 yards of separation on his targets. Smith-Njigba was right around the league average (2.96) in that metric during Week 2. 

Smith-Njigba was also incredibly efficient with his opportunities. His 75% catch rate (12-of-16 targets) was third-highest among all receivers that saw 10-plus throws. Smith-Njigba’s conversion percentage was arguably the most impressive mark considering the two wideouts in front of him saw six fewer targets (10) than he did.

Smith-Njigba didn't always mesh with last season’s offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Grubb seems to possess a much better handle on his well-rounded skill set. Take a look at how much more diverse Smith-Njigba’s route tree was in this contest compared to Week 9 last campaign.

Smith-Njigba's game-high 16 targets also meant he accounted for 47.37% of Smith’s targeted air yards (TAY%). The Patriots' cornerbacks showed Smith-Njigba a lot of respect in coverage. He saw an average cushion distance of 5.8 yards at the time of snap on his targets.

This is the type of weapon Seahawks general manager John Schneider believed he was getting when he drafted Smith-Njigba 20th overall last season. Smith-Njigba was inconsistent as a rookie, with lots of blame falling at the feet of Waldron's disjointed offense. Coach Grubb had this passing offense firing on all cylinders in Week 2, and his sophomore playmaker should continue emerging as a weekly threat.