Seattle Seahawks rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was having a great preseason by all accounts before suffering a wrist injury, which required surgery. Fortunately, he seems to be recovering well, as he is reportedly back at practice already.
Smith-Njigba came to the Seahawks after a decorated career at Ohio State, perhaps best known for his 2022 Rose Bowl peformance where he racked up 15 receptions for 347 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
His first round draft selection by the Seahawks obviously comes with a ton of expectations to perform right away. Most would assume that his wrist injury puts his Week 1 status in jeopardy. But Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll appears to be optimistic about his chances to play in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Carroll spoke to the media about Smith-Njigba on Wednesday, detailing that his rookie receiver has responded “remarkably well” to his injury.
“He’s doing remarkably well,” said Carroll via ESPN’s Brady Henderson. “I saw him respond to the injury at the outset, and then I saw him respond to when they told him he’s going to have to get operated on, and so I’m not surprised at the attitude that he’s brought post-surgery. He’s out here working, catching balls, catching punts, doing everything. He ain’t worried about it. It could have gone a number of different ways. It’s gone the way of the competitor. He’s not going to be denied. He wants to play football.”
He was then directly asked if Smith Njigba will play against the Rams in Week 1. And while he didn’t give a definitive answer, he said he is “hopeful”.
“I’m hoping,” Carroll added. “I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. He looks great right now.”
[ESPN]
