The Seattle Seahawks have one of the best -- if not the best -- wide receivers in the game right now. Jaxon Smith-Njigba secured a huge payday after a breakout campaign, helping the team win the Super Bowl with an Offensive Player of the Year season.
However, the A.J. Brown trade has re-ignited a league-wide conversation about wide receiver rankings. He'll give the New England Patriots a major boost, and they may now have one of the best WR corps in the entire league.
Conversely, that raises a question about the Seahawks and where they truly stand when compared to their peers. Yes, they have a superstar, but do they have enough support around him to take some of the pressure off their shoulders?
The Seattle Seahawks may not have enough help for Jaxon Smith-Njigba
With that in mind, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport ranked the league's 10 best wide receiver groups, and while the Seahawks made the cut at No. 7, that spot was mostly thanks to their young superstar.
"Make no mistake: This ranking is mostly about one player—Jaxon Smith-Njigba," wrote Davenport. "Cooper Kupp isn't the player he once was, but we're talking about a former triple-crown receiver and Offensive Player of the Year in his own right. Rashid Shaheed doesn't post big numbers, but the speedster can take the top off a defense in the blink of an eye. But Seattle is Smith-Njigba's world—everyone else is just living in it."
Cooper Kupp is a borderline Hall of Famer, but his best days are far behind him. Of course, he proved to be extremely reliable in big moments last season, and he's never been a burner or someone who relies on speed to beat coverage. However, he's dealt with some injuries and isn't getting any younger, so trusting him with WR2 duties might be a bit tricky.
Then, there's Rashid Shaheed. He's a perennial big-play threat and one of the fastest players in the game; he can leave defensive backs in the dust with the twitch of his hips and acceleration. That said, he was almost a non-factor and a premium decoy in his first half-season with the Seahawks, and he has plenty of catching up to do to live up to his big-money deal.
There's nothing wrong with having just a superstar at the position, and Smith-Njigba already showed that he can dominate with a big workload. He developed into an all-around weapon after being mostly a slot specialist earlier in his career, and that versatility allows the Seahawks to get him involved early and often and in all kinds of matchups.
Then again, the Seahawks aren't like every contender. Everyone will be aiming for their crown, and every other team in the league has dissected their 2025 film non-stop since they hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy.
All tricks won't cut it anymore, and every defense will focus on containing their playmaker. Smith-Njigba should still be able to put up huge numbers, but life might be much easier if his supporting cast also gives him a hand.
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