Seahawks rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba catching balls at practice days after wrist surgery
A week ago, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters that rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba needed wrist surgery.
On Tuesday, Smith-Njigba was back at practice and catching balls. The sight was a welcome one for Seahawks fans concerned about the star rookie. He had a wrap on his injured left wrist, but video shows Smith-Njigba (No. 11) running drills with the wide receivers group.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba fully practicing with the #Seahawks catching passes from Geno Smith days, just after surgery to fix a broken bone in the rookie’s wrist. @thenewstribune pic.twitter.com/yJm91DQHE5
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) August 29, 2023
Smith-Njigba sustained what Carroll described on Aug. 22 as a "slight fracture" of his left wrist. He suffered the injury on a tackle during an Aug. 19 preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys. He'd yet to have surgery when Carroll made the announcement.
Carroll said at the time that his timeline to return was initially set at 3-4 weeks, putting his status for Week 1 in jeopardy. He provided an amended timeline on Friday set at "10 days or something." Carroll didn't provide an update Tuesday, but Smith-Njigba's presence on the practice field indicates that he's indeed ahead of the initial 3-4 week timeline.
The Seahawks selected Smith-Njigba with the 20th pick of April's draft out of Ohio State anticipating an immediate impact as a rookie alongside DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. His status for Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams is still in doubt, but his outlook for the Sept. 10 game looks brighter after Tuesday's practice.
