Jaxon Smith-Njigba is not ruled out for the Seattle Seahawks’ Week 6 matchup with the Denver Broncos, and the expectation is that he’ll play despite the ankle injury he picked up in Week 5.
That matters plenty for Seattle. Smith-Njigba has been the engine of the offense, with the kind of target share that makes him more than just a top receiver - he’s the player the Seahawks lean on most.
In 2025, he handled 33.9 percent of the team’s pass targets, the highest rate in the NFL. This season, that number is sitting at 34 percent, which is basically the same kind of workload.
The limited practice designation this week didn’t tell the full story, either. Seattle is coming off a Sunday game and then turning around for Thursday Night Football, so the team didn’t get to full practices until Wednesday. That made the early-week injury report a little less alarming than it might have looked at first glance.
Smith-Njigba’s status will still come down to game time, and the real question is how much the ankle affects him once the Seahawks kick off on Thursday. In Week 5’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers, he finished with five catches for 102 yards, although a lot of that production came before he got hurt. He also had a late drop, but that likely had nothing to do with the ankle.
What’s been clear all season is that Smith-Njigba can produce with whoever is throwing him the ball. When Drew Lock started the first two games after Sam Darnold injured his glute on the opening series of Week 1, Smith-Njigba hauled in 17 passes for 277 yards and four touchdowns. He’s actually been less effective since Darnold returned in Week 3.
If Smith-Njigba can go, Seattle won’t be searching for a real replacement. That’s the problem for the Seahawks if he can’t: there isn’t one. For now, the outlook is encouraging, and the signs point to him being on the field against Denver.
In Other News...
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Just Became Seattle's Biggest Thursday Night X-Factor
Jaxon Smith-Njigbas week of practice offered a small dose of concern when the Seahawks receiver was limited by an ankle issue, but he heads into the matchup with Denver without an injury designation. That matters for a Seattle offense that has leaned on him heavily this season, with Smith-Njigba emerging as one of the teams most important playmakers through the first five games.
The timing only adds to the intrigue on Thursday night. Denver will be missing key defensive pieces in Pat Surtain II and Talanoa Hufanga, which opens a path for Seattle to keep feeding its top target if he looks like himself. For the Seahawks, the question is less about whether Smith-Njigba is available and more about how much damage he can do against a Broncos secondary that is suddenly shorthanded. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Need A Spark From An Unsettling Backfield Situation
The Seahawks kept churning the bottom of the roster this week, signing running back Velus Jones Jr. off the practice squad and letting wide receiver Irv Charles go before bringing him back. It was the latest in a string of recent activations and releases involving the same players, a reminder of how fluid Seattles roster has become as it tries to navigate the back end of the season.
Jones has mostly made his mark on special teams this year, but the move also hints at a bigger role on offense if the team continues to be thin at running back. For a Seattle group looking for a spark, the backfield is suddenly one of the more unsettled spots on the roster, and the next few days could determine how much opportunity Jones gets to prove he can do more than cover kicks. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Brings Seahawks One Big Question Into Broncos Game
Jaxon Smith-Njigba gave the Seahawks a timely lift Wednesday by turning in a full practice session after being limited earlier in the week with an ankle injury. On a short week, that kind of update matters, especially with Seattle heading into Thursday Night Football against the Broncos and trying to keep its passing game on track.
Still, the abbreviated schedule leaves one real question hanging over the matchup. Full participation is a positive sign, but it does not automatically mean Smith-Njigba is fully over the ankle issue, so the Seahawks will be watching closely right up until kickoff to see how he responds. [Read more 🡒]