Seahawks Add Jaxon Smith-Njigba to Injury Report Amid Flurry of Week 3 Moves
Battling an illness that has put his status for Sunday’s Week 3 home matchup against the New Orleans Saints up in the air, the Seattle Seahawks added star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to their injury report on Saturday with a questionable designation.
Smith-Njigba, who has surpassed 100 receiving yards in each of Seattle’s first two games and would have a chance to become the first player in franchise history to achieve that feat in three straight games to open a season, did not appear on the injury report at all this week. The illness popped up on Saturday and his status will be monitored closely in the hours leading up to inactives, which will have to be reported 90 minutes before kickoff.
In the event Smith-Njigba isn’t able to play, the Seahawks would have to turn to veteran Cooper Kupp and rookie Tory Horton as their top two receivers, while Jake Bobo and Dareke Young would take on extended roles after returning from injuries to play against the Steelers last week. The team released Cody White and re-signed him to the practice squad on Friday, but he won’t be available to suit up on Sunday due to the other moves made by the team on Saturday.
With safeties Julian Love (hamstring) and Nick Emmanwori (ankle) both receiving doubtful designations on Friday despite being limited in practice that day, Seattle signed third-year safety Jerrick Reed II to the 53-man roster to take White’s spot. In addition to Ty Okada and Reed being on the 53, veteran safety D’Anthony Bell was elevated from the practice squad for game day for the second straight week, giving coach Mike Macdonald more options to fill the void next to starter Coby Bryant against New Orleans.
As expected, the Seahawks also called up backfield insurance with Zach Charbonnet (toe) also being listed as doubtful to play versus the Saints, promoting undrafted rookie Jacardia Wright from the practice squad to make his NFL regular season debut. The former Missouri State star impressed in training camp and the preseason, appearing to pass seventh round pick Damien Martinez, who was released off the practice squad on Friday, on the depth chart with his efforts.
Assuming Charbonnet doesn’t play, Seattle will lean heavily on starter Ken Walker III as well as second-year back George Holani, who scored a rare touchdown on kick coverage against Pittsburgh last week and has been readying for his opportunity to impress on offense. Wright will serve as the third option while also potentially contributing on special teams.
Capping off a flurry of moves on Saturday, the Seahawks also officially announced the signing of veteran guard Shane Lemieux to their practice squad. The former Oregon Duck previously spent four seasons with the Giants after being a fifth round draft pick and then started four games at center for the Saints, who were coordinated by current Seattle play caller Klint Kubiak and also had current line coach John Benton on staff as well.
