The Seahawks’ running game has been hampered by injuries, poor offensive line play, and good defenses, so they’ve had to rely heavily on their passing game to get through the back half of the season.
Normally, this would mean relying heavily on vertical DK Metcalf or soft-spot routes to Tyler Lockett while mixing in the running backs on shorter passes.
However, the offense has been transferred to sophomore receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba from Ohio State. Smith-Njigba posted a solid rookie campaign with 600 receiving yards and four touchdowns but failed to escape Metcalf’s shadow and settled for third fiddle in a mediocre passing attack.
The Seahawks’ reliance on their passing attack, father time coming for Lockett, and injuries to Metcalf means they needed Smith-Njigba to step up and fulfill their holes. And step up he has.
After a slow first game where he had a measly two catches for 19 yards, Smith-Njigba exploded onto the scene against the Patriots, commanding 16 targets with 12 receptions for 117 yards. While he slowed down over the next couple of games when Metcalf exited with an injury, he posted a monster 180-yard game and hasn’t looked back since then.
https://twitter.com/NextGenStats/status/1866538621286994091
What makes his boom even more impressive is that Smith-Njiba represents an evolving mold of NFL receivers, which is slowly starting to take over the league. Gone are the 2010s, when alpha X receivers played physical football, dominating with contested catches.
While X receivers, such as Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, are still common in football and dominate at the highest level, smaller slot receivers are slowly starting to make names for themselves and carve out niches in NFL offenses.
Cooper Kupp’s 2021 season was the mold. He operated mainly out of the slot and ended up having the greatest single season in NFL history, with a monstrous 1947 yards. He birthed this new archetype, which has allowed players like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Ladd McConkey and now Smith-Njigba to excel in the slot.
Part of what made Russell Wilson so good was the constant of a safety blanket. Doug Baldwin acted as this earlier in his career, and Lockett took over duties soon after. They never made the flashiest catches but always seemed to find the correct spot in the zone, picking up important 3rd and mediums or shortening a 2nd and long to a third and short.
The Baldwin-esque role is where Smith-Njigba now finds himself, except with sharper route running abilities, stickier hands and a more athletic talent. He’s been able to dominate, especially over the middle of the field, leading all receivers in the NFL in pretty much every stat from the slot. However, even when lined up outside, he’s shown promise and has been able to generate production.
Smith-Njigba’s talent in the slot will unlikely impede DK’s role as a dominant outside receiver. While talented, he lacks the physical prowess of Metcalf and other outside pass-catchers and will likely remain in the slot.
Smith-Njigba’s emergence and Metcalf’s return make the Seahawks a nightmare to game plan for. If Metcalf is blanketed, Geno Smith and Ryan Grubb will attack the middle of the field, making linebackers’ lives impossible. If they stack up in the middle, defenses run the risk of leaving Metcalf outside in one-on-one coverage.
No matter how you put it, Smith-Njigba’s breakout has opened up the Seahawks’ offense, making it harder to play. While he might never move to be a true outside threat, the Seahawks may have found themselves the next gem at the slot receiver position.
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