Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba will play Week 1 despite wrist injury
By the time the Seattle Seahawks face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be three weeks removed from a wrist injury that required surgery. And Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters Wednesday that Smith-Njigba will play in that game.
Pete Carroll says WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba will play Sunday in Seahawks' opener vs Rams. Said the rookie "hasn't said a peep" about his surgically repaired wrist, and that there is no hesitation. @thenewstribune
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) September 6, 2023
Smith-Njigba sustained the injury during Seattle's Aug. 19 preseason match against the Dallas Cowboys when he was tackled on a long catch in the second quarter.
Carroll initially called the injury a "slight fracture" that would require surgery, with an expected timeline to return of three to four weeks, which put him in striking distance of a Week 1 appearance. A week later, Smith-Njigba was running drills and catching passes at practice.
While Smith-Njigba might play, it's unclear if he'll get a full slate of snaps as he continues to recover from surgery. It's not like the Seahawks need him, either, with veterans DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett ready to go. Still, Smith-Njigba's presence would be a huge boon for him and the team after the Seahawks took him No. 20 in the 2023 NFL Draft. He caught six passes for 83 yards in two preseason games before the injury.
