Per Gregg Bell of Sports Radio 93.3 KJR Seattle, Smith-Njigba sustained the ankle issue early in the second quarter of Sunday’s divisional matchup when he was tripped up during a 16-yard lateral run. Despite the mid-game scare, the injury did not cause the 24-year-old wide receiver to miss any significant playing time, and he ultimately finished the contest with a strong statistical performance.
However, because the Seahawks face a quick turnaround ahead of a pivotal Week 6 Thursday night matchup against the Denver Broncos, Seattle’s coaching and medical staff are expected to monitor his practice participation closely throughout the week. Despite the cautious approach and the limited tag on Monday, the prevailing expectation within the organization is that Smith-Njigba will be active and ready to play without any restrictions when the team takes the field on Thursday night.
The brief injury scare comes during what has been a dominant stretch for the young wideout, who signed a lucrative four-year, $168.6 million contract extension with the Seahawks in March 2026. During Sunday’s clash against the 49ers, Smith-Njigba hauled in five of eight targets for 102 yards and a touchdown, supplementing his aerial production with the aforementioned 16-yard rush. His afternoon was nearly flawless, marred only by a late drop that proved costly in the closing moments of the high-scoring affair.
This stellar outing against San Francisco serves as just the latest chapter in a stellar 2026 campaign. Just a week prior, in Week 4, Smith-Njigba secured five of six targets for 76 yards in a 30-23 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. In Week 3 against the Washington Commanders, he delivered a massive performance, catching 10 of 14 targets for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Two weeks before that, he erupted against the Arizona Cardinals, catching nine passes on 11 targets for 155 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant 31-7 win. He also opened the season with a strong showing against the New England Patriots, bringing in eight of 11 targets for 122 yards and a touchdown in a low-scoring 13-10 victory.
Smith-Njigba’s ascension into a premier NFL talent marks a continuation of the massive developmental strides he showed during his stellar sophomore and junior years. Selected 20th overall out of Ohio State in the 2023 NFL Draft, his professional journey began with a rookie season that saw him heavily utilized in the short passing game and slot alignments while playing alongside established veterans DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Though his early usage raised questions about scheme-dependency and a lack of downfield targets—with just 24 targets coming 10 or more yards downfield as a rookie under former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron—he quickly exploded into a focal point of the offense.
His breakout second professional campaign featured a dramatic 47 percent increase in targets and an 80 percent surge in receiving yardage. He made huge leaps across every key efficiency metric, eventually surpassing Metcalf in the offensive hierarchy by the end of the year. Following roster changes that saw long-tenured staples move on, Smith-Njigba firmly entrenched himself as the centerpiece of Seattle’s passing attack, maintaining elite productivity whether catching passes from veteran quarterback Sam Darnold or filling in during brief stints with backup signal-callers.
The immediate focus for the Seahawks, however, centers entirely on health and short-week recovery. With the Broncos looming on Thursday, the team will evaluate Smith-Njigba’s ankle over the next two days. Given his toughness, resilience, and the expectation that he will suit up uninhibited, Seattle’s offense remains heavily reliant on his playmaking ability as they look to rebound from their tough loss to San Francisco and get back in the win column.
