Promising Seattle Seahawks rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba will reportedly have surgery on an injured wrist today.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the news. Smith-Njigba suffered the injury during Saturday night’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The 2023 first-round pick is hopeful he can return for the start of the regular season, but no timeline is available yet.
Seahawks’ first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba is undergoing wrist surgery today in Philadelphia, but still could have a chance to be ready for the start of the regular season, per sources. Surgery will determine how long he will miss. He hurt his wrist Saturday night vs. Dallas.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 22, 2023
Despite injuring his wrist, Smith-Njigba still had a productive night on Saturday. He logged three receptions for 58 yards, including a 48-yard catch-and-run down to the 1-yard line in the second quarter of Seattle’s 22-14 exhibition win.
“He’s elite,” rookie quarterback Holton Ahlers told reporters about Smith-Njigba. “There’s a reason he was drafted as high as he was. He’s going to be a great player in this league for a really long time. … He’s going to have a really big year for us, and I’m excited to watch him.”
Smith-Njigba missed almost all of the 2022 season at Ohio State due to a hamstring injury. Hopefully, his ailing wrist won’t keep him out very long.
The rookie is projected to be the Seahawks’ top slot receiver in 2023, joining DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in what could be one of the NFL’s best receiving corps.