4 Seattle Seahawks players that are absolutely set to explode in 2023
By Lee Vowell
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The Seattle Seahawks were expected not to be very good in 2022 and clearly exceeded those expectations. Seattle not only had a winning record but they also made the playoffs. Was Seattle a Super Bowl contender? No, but they were closer than almost anyone thought they would be.
2023 should be even better. Seattle has seemingly fixed the issue along the defensive line and added players who can stop the run, but also supply some interior pass rush. Plus, Seattle added talent at cornerback and at receiver.
Seattle might not yet be ready to win a Super Bowl (maybe 2024?) but they are even closer than they were last year. Seattle could easily win 10-plus games. And the following four guys could have monster seasons.
Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Over the 10 years that Smith-Njigba has been in the NFL...Oh, wait. He hasn't yet played a down in the league? That's somewhat shocking as Smith-Njigba handles himself as if he is a at least a five-year veteran and that is a positive anyway you look at it. It should mean that when any specific game is in its more important moments that Smith-Njigba isn't doing to shy away from potentially making a brilliant play.
The rookie has great hands, runs routes as if he was born to do so, which maybe he was, and has enough speed while in pads to create explosive plays. We know that fellow receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are proven high-end players and Smith-Njigba will be WR3. But playing off of Lockett and Metcalf, Smith-Njigba could have a bigger season than one or both of Metcalf or Lockett.
I don't mean to say that Smith-Njigba is better than Metcalf or Lockett, though he could turn out to be, but that at least he will initially see more one-on-one coverage and should be able to expose whoever is trying to cover him. Smith-Njigba has the talent, and seemingly the maturity, to pile up a lot of production in the first part of the season.