The Denver Broncos are walking into Thursday night with one assignment that keeps getting harder the more you watch the tape: slow down Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
That sounds simple enough on paper. It’s not.
Smith-Njigba has been producing like a star wideout and a problem after the catch, the kind of receiver who can stack cornerbacks with route running and then make safeties feel like they’re trying to tackle a running back in space. Sam Jane of the Denver Post spoke to three Broncos defensive backs about him, and the message came through clearly: this is not just a coverage job, it’s a survival test once he gets the ball.
Safety JL Skinner put it in the kind of language defenders remember. “sometimes you got to eat your Wheaties” to do this. Brandon Jones backed that up by saying Smith-Njigba is going to find a way to make plays, no matter how strong the plan looks before kickoff.
The numbers show why the Broncos are concerned. Smith-Njigba has 37 catches on 49 targets for 583 yards and seven touchdowns in five games. He leads the NFL with nine receptions of 20 yards or more, according to Jane, and his 82-yard touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals stands as the longest catch in the league this season.
There’s more under the hood, too. Smith-Njigba is averaging 4.1 receiving yards per route run, which ranks second in the NFL behind Baltimore Ravens receiver Zay Flowers.
He’s also creating 2.9 yards of separation on routes, and that blend of route versatility, speed, and strength is what makes him such a difficult cover. He can run the full route tree, outrun defensive backs, or simply run through them after the catch.
Denver’s best shot is the one every defense wants against a top target: make the ball go elsewhere. Sam Darnold’s next most popular target is Cooper Kupp, who has just 129 receiving yards.
That gives the Broncos a chance to focus on Smith-Njigba, but the timing is lousy. Pat Surtain II has been ruled out with an ankle injury, and safety Talanoa Hufanga is also out with an ankle injury.
Cornerback Riley Moss is set to return, though.
Even with extra attention, this won’t be a clean double-team-and-move-on kind of night. Seattle moves Smith-Njigba around and puts him in motion, forcing the defense to keep finding him again and again. For a Broncos secondary that hasn’t spent much time together on the field, that’s a tough ask.
In Other News...
Broncos Suddenly Face A Brutal Thursday Test In The Secondary
Denver is staring at a quick turnaround with its secondary suddenly in rough shape for Thursday nights game against Seattle. The Broncos are already planning without Patrick Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga, a pair of important defensive backs whose absence changes the look of the back end just as the team prepares for a Seahawks offense that still has plenty of passing-game firepower.
The concern gets sharper with Riley Moss listed as questionable because of a rib injury, which could leave Denver stretched thin in a key area of the field. Seattle has some injury issues of its own, including linebacker Drake Thomas, linebacker Chazz Surratt and running back Zach Charbonnet, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Leonard Williams are expected to play, so the Broncos may still be looking at a demanding test under the prime-time lights. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Face A Brutal Week 6 Test In The Secondary
Denvers secondary is heading into Week 6 with some real uncertainty as it prepares for Seattle, and the timing is hardly ideal. Patrick Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga are both out with ankle injuries, while Riley Moss is listed as questionable, leaving the Broncos thinner than usual in a part of the defense that is usually built to travel and match up.
Seattle brings a clear focal point in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has become the centerpiece of the passing game and the kind of receiver Denver has to account for on every snap. With the back end shorthanded, the Broncos may have to lean on coverage adjustments and a steadier pass rush to keep the Seahawks from dictating the rhythm of the game. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Pass Rush Hinges On Jonathon Coopers Uncertain NFL Status
Jonathon Coopers status has become one of the key questions hovering over Denvers pass rush as the outside linebacker remains on the NFL commissioners exempt list while his domestic violence case continues. The league is monitoring the matter under its personal conduct policy, leaving the Broncos in a holding pattern with a player who had been part of their edge-rushing plans and now cannot take the field while the process plays out.
The uncertainty is especially tricky because there is still a path, however unsettled, for Cooper to be back during the middle of the season if circumstances change. For now, though, Denver has to plan without knowing when or whether he will be available, and that lingering unknown could shape how the Broncos manage one of their most important defensive spots for weeks to come. [Read more 🡒]