Seahawks rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba undergoing wrist surgery, Week 1 status in question

Seattle Seahawks first-round pick and former Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is having surgery on Tuesday, according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter.

Smith-Njigba suffered a broken bone in his wrist during Saturday’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, according to Schefter. He added that there is a chance the rookie could be ready for the start of the regular season.

The Seahawks have their final preseason game this Saturday at Green Bay. Seattle opens the regular season on Sunday, Sept. 10 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught three passes for 58 yards on Saturday against the Cowboys. In the preseason opener against the Vikings, he caught three passes for 25 yards.

The Seahawks selected Smith-Njigba in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft with the No. 20 overall pick. The Texas native was a high draft pick, despite missing most of his junior season.

Smith-Njigba played in only three games in 2022, finishing the year with five receptions for 43 yards.

While he might not have played much for the Buckeyes last season, he did display his talent on plenty of occasions during his time at Ohio State.

Smith-Njigba caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore in 2021. That includes an incredible performance in the Rose Bowl against Utah when he caught 15 passes for 347 yards and three scores.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba made impressive one-handed touchdown catch in Seahawks practice

Jaxon Smith-Njigba might be sidelined for now, but he has impressed when he has been on the field this summer.

That includes last month during training camp when the former Buckeye hauled in an impressive one-handed touchdown grab in practice.

You can see video of the catch below:

JSN WITH AN UNREAL ONE-HAND GRAB 🤯 pic.twitter.com/IhPjbRX89p

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) July 27, 2023

As you can see, Smith-Njigba reaches up and effortlessly plucks the ball out of the air with his left hand.

He has been impressing in Seattle since being drafted in the first round of this year’s NFL draft.

“After being limited early by the hamstring injury that sidelined him for most of last season, Smith-Njigba has looked exactly as advertised — a skilled route-runner who excels at getting open from the slot,” ESPN’s Brady Henderson wrote in June. “Despite not being known as a burner, he showed he has plenty of speed when he got behind fellow first-rounder Devon Witherspoon on a wheel route to haul in a long touchdown, perhaps his top highlight of the spring.”

Quarterback Geno Smith is already a big fan. It could be a great one-two punch with DK Metcalf and Smith-Njigba.

“He’s so impressive,” Smith said, via ESPN. “Very smooth route-runner. Natural hands. Also, the game is not too big for him. You can see he’s got that self-confidence that you look for.”