Seahawks' Carroll 'Hoping' Jaxon Smith-Njigba Plays vs. Rams After Surgery on Injury

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll isn't ruling out Jaxon Smith-Njigba for Week 1 after the rookie wide receiver had surgery on Aug. 23 to repair a broken wrist.

Speaking to reporters after Wednesday's practice, Caroll said Smith-Njigba is doing "remarkably well" right now and he's "hoping" to have him play against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 10:

"I saw him respond to the injury at the outset, and then I saw him respond to when they told him he's going to have to get operated on, and so I'm not surprised at the attitude that he's brought post-surgery. He's out here working, catching balls, catching punts, doing everything. He ain't worried about it. It could have gone a number of different ways. It's gone the way of the competitor. He's not going to be denied. He wants to play football."

Smith-Njigba suffered the injury during Seattle's Aug. 19 preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Carroll told reporters on Aug. 22 the expectation was Smith-Njigba would miss three to four weeks after being diagnosed with a slight fracture that required surgery.

Wednesday was Smith-Njigba's second consecutive day going through practice with the team. ESPN's Brady Henderson posted video of the 21-year-old on the field catching passes with a heavy wrap on his hand.

A potential Week 1 return would be just shy of three weeks from the date Smith-Njigba had surgery.

Seattle's receiver depth is being tested as the team prepares for the start of the regular season.

Dareke Young and Cody Thompson have been dealing with injuries throughout the preseason, though Carroll didn't address their status for Week 1. Dee Eskridge is suspended for the first six games of the season for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.

D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are the Seahawks' top two wide receivers going into the season. Undrafted rookie Jake Bobo is the only other receiver on the 53-man roster.

The Seahawks selected Smith-Njigba with the No. 20 pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He dealt with a hamstring injury throughout the 2022 season at Ohio State that limited him to just three games.

In his last healthy season for the Buckeyes, Smith-Njigba had 95 receptions for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games during the 2021 campaign.