No player is more valuable to the Seattle Seahawks' offense than wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and that might even include quarterback Sam Darnold. What would Seattle be like without JSN? The hope is they won't find out in Week 6 after the wideout hurt his ankle in Week 5. The good news is that Smith-Njigba isn't ruled out against the Denver Broncos.
He was limited in practice this week, but that was a bit misleading, too. Since the week of practice was a short one -- Seattle played on Sunday and will next play on Thursday Night Football -- the team didn't hold full practices until Wednesday.
Normally, a team's first injury report would not be released until Wednesday for a Sunday game, and the team would normally only hold meetings on Monday and be off on Tuesday. Rightfully, most fans didn't stress about Smith-Njigba being limited early this week.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is expected to play for the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6
How much, if any, the ankle issue will affect him moving forward won't be known until game time on Thursday. JSN finished Week 5's loss against the San Francisco 49ers with five catches for 102 yards, but many of those came before he was hurt. He also had a key drop late in the game, but that likely wasn't affected by his ankle either.
Smith-Njigba is able to succeed no matter who the quarterback is. Drew Lock played most of the first two games after Darnold injured his glute in the first series of Week 1, and JSN caught 17 passes for 277 yards and four touchdowns in those games. He's been less effective, strangely enough, since Sam Darnold returned in Week 3.
The receiver is still getting far more targets than the rest of his teammates. In 2025, he had 33.9 percent of pass targets, the highest in the NFL. This season, he is averaging 34 percent, so almost the same. In his absence, the Seahawks have no real replacement. At least, he is expected to play against Denver and should be productive once again.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba injury history:
- September 2022 with Ohio State - Hamstring strain (missed 10 games)
- August 2023 - Wrist fracture in preseason (didn't miss any regular season games)
- February 2026 - Checked for concussion in the Super Bowl but was able to return
- October 2026 - Ankle injury (unlikely to miss any games)
While Smith-Njigba should play against the Broncos, one might wonder if he will be limited. Other receivers will need to step up, but that should probably be the case in most games anyway.
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