Seattle Seahawks fans had to hold their collective breath after seeing rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba go down during Saturday’s preseason matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. The highly-touted wide receiver got tackled near the goal line on Saturday and unfortunately, test results later indicated that the 21-year-old would need to undergo surgery to address a concerning wrist injury.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Expected to Miss 3-to-4 Weeks, Per Pete Carroll
Right now, Smith-Njigba is in a race to fitness ahead of Seattle’s Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll spoke to the press on Tuesday and he provided a rather ominous injury update on their prized rookie:
“He’s going to get surgery by the hand specialist,” Carroll said, via video from Brady Henderson of ESPN (h/t Charean Williams of PFT). “Kind of a slight fracture that we just want to make sure that we do the right thing to ensure he gets back as soon as possible and as safe as possible. So, we’re going to be optimistic about it. Three or four weeks, and we’ll see what happens.”
Obviously, it’s not a very good thing that Smith-Njigba is going to have to go under the knife even before his NFL debut. However, the silver lining here is that based on Carroll’s statement, it sounds like the Seahawks are merely erring on the side of caution here.
Nevertheless, what is clear is that Smith-Njigba’s status for Seattle’s season-opener three weeks from now is currently up in the air. Carroll hinted that the 3-to-4-week timetable is an “optimistic” estimate, meaning that the former Ohio State standout could spend more time on the shelf as he recovers from surgery.
The Seahawks have high hopes for Smith-Njigba. He’s not exactly a superstar in the making (at least not yet), but the athletic wideout has the potential to be a difference-maker for Seattle. He’s suffered an early setback in his career already, but Seattle fans will just have to remain patient with their new young recruit.
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