Seahawks Need Supporting Cast of Pass Catchers to Pop
Everyone knows about No. 11 on the Seahawks. That being the reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the one man the opponents can't let beat them, but still manages to do so most of the time anyway.
Smith-Njigba was once again the Seahawks’ biggest weapon in Week 1, and at this point, there’s nothing surprising about that. He finished the 13-10 win over New England with eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown, including the spectacular 45-yard catch-and-run touchdown that tied the game in the fourth quarter. He was responsible for 69 of those yards in the final period alone.
The trouble was, Smith-Njigba was the only one that shined in the passing game. Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury and Lock didn't feature the supporting cast. Rashid Shaheed signed a three-year, $51 million contract to return to Seattle this offseason. The coaching staff envisioned him being a much bigger part of the passing game than he was last season after the trade from New Orleans. Instead, he amassed just 188 receiving yards in nine regular season games in Seattle.
If Seattle is going to have the kind of offense capable of making another deep playoff run, it cannot consistently rely on Smith-Njigba to be the answer to every problem. Against New England, no other Seahawks wide receiver had more than three targets. Cooper Kupp finished with just two catches for 35 yards. Albeit, one was of the fantastic one-handed variety. He nearly had a touchdown before it was called back due to a penalty, but it didn’t count regardless, while Shaheed had one catch for four yards. Seattle ultimately finished with only 200 passing yards and one offensive touchdown.
Among receivers not named Smith-Njigba, tight ends, and running backs, that totaled just nine catches for 78 yards. Fullback Brady Russell paced all non-receivers with two catches for 20 yards. AJ Barner had a quiet night, catching two passes for 13 yards. Many view him as a breakout candidate after he tallied 519 yards and six touchdowns last regular season. Throw in former second-round pick Elijah Arroyo, who didn't even register a single catch or even a target in 11 offensive snaps, and the team received minimal contributions from everyone not named Smith-Njigba.
Defenses are going to devote significant attention to JSN, and Seattle needs Kupp, Shaheed, and the other pass-catchers to make them pay when that happens. It's unfair to pin this all on Fleury. He was thrown into a difficult position in his first regular season game, having to adjust with a backup quarterback after one series. Much of the playbook was likely thrown out or adjusted on the fly to account for the unexpected absence of Sam Darnold.
The goal shouldn't be to take the ball out of JSN's hands. Quite the opposite. The Seahawks need to make it harder for defenses to take the ball out of the reigning Offensive Player of the Year's hands. If Kupp, Shaheed, Barner and company can consistently win their matchups, it creates more space for Seattle's best player to do what he does best. Smith-Njigba already looks like the kind of receiver who can carry an offense for stretches. The next step for Seattle is making sure he doesn't have to carry it all the time.
Luckily, Fleury and the Seahawks have another week to iron things out with Lock as the distributor to Seattle's talented group of pass catchers, providing an opportunity to build a game plan that allows others to shine around Smith-Njigba.
