4 winners and losers from Seattle Seahawks first four games of 2023

Loser No. 1 - Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba

I might need to scream this first sentence, but just to be clear: I do not think Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a bad player or a first-round bust or anything like that. But let's also be real about this: Many thought that he would be much more productive than he has been through four games. This isn't based on where he was drafted, but more about how smooth he looked in the early preseason and how Seattle's coaching staff was raving about him.

There also seems to be some theory on social media that maybe Smith-Njigba isn't producing as well as hoped to this point because Pete Carroll likes to bring rookies along slowly. That might be generally true but this is not the case with JSN. Smith-Njigba has the third most targets on Seattle's team and he is only three targets behind DK Metcalf. Therefore, Geno Smith isn't just showing some love for Metcalf and Lockett and forgetting Smith-Njigba.

The worst statistic for JSN so far in 2023 is that while he has 12 catches (third on the team), he is averaging only 5.2 yards per catch. That's atrocious. He also has picked up just two first downs on those catches. Compare that to Metcalf (14 first downs in 18 catches) and Lockett (9 first downs on 17 catches) and we further see that Smith-Njigba hasn't had an expllsive impact.

I do think Smith-Njigba is due for a really big game where he breaks off two long catch-and runs. He's got the skills to do that but he is likely still adjusting to the speed of the NFL. Smith-Njigba isn't the fastest of receivers and that might just be making his acclimation to the league that much more difficult.