Seahawks rookie WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba has ‘slight fracture’ on wrist, Week 1 in doubt

Seattle Seahawks rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has a “slight fracture” in his left wrist and could be out three to four weeks, coach Pete Carroll told members of the media Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:

Smith-Njigba will see a specialist on Tuesday, and Carroll said he will have surgery. “We’re going to be optimistic about it,” Carroll said.
A three-to-four-week timeline would seem to put the Seahawks’ regular-season opener — in less than three weeks on Sept. 10 — in doubt.
Seattle could lean more on packages with two tight ends while Smith-Njigba is out.

Backstory

Smith-Njigba suffered the injury on his 48-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter against the Cowboys on Saturday night. He played the next snap — a 1-yard touchdown run by DeeJay Dallas — then sat the rest of the game.

In two preseason games, Smith-Njigba caught six passes on seven targets for 83 yards. He averaged 6.33 yards after the catch on those receptions. The league average last year among tight ends and receivers was 4.3 yards after the catch per reception. In limited action, Smith-Njigba flashed exactly what Seattle wanted to see from the highest-drafted receiver of the Carroll era.

He’s part of a wide receiver group that includes two 1,000-yard receivers from last season — D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

How this affects Seattle’s offense

The obvious adjustment for the Seahawks in Smith-Njigba’s absence is to lean on its two tight end packages. Seattle used 12 personnel at the second-highest rate in the league last season, according to TruMedia. It made sense at the time based on how the roster was constructed.

Will Dissly’s ability to play in-line tight end and split out wide also gave them versatility out of those heavy personnel groupings. Seattle’s first two snaps against the Cowboys were out of 13 personnel (three tight ends and one running back). The first play was a run to right with Dissly attached to right tackle Abe Lucas. Seattle went no-huddle before the next play, which featured Dissly lined up in the slot running a whip route against a safety for a gain of eight yards.

Having healthy, versatile tight ends will help Seattle’s offense remain dynamic in any of the games it has to play without Smith-Njigba. — Dugar

What Carroll said

The Seahawks coach said the team wants to “do the right thing” to ensure his return as soon and as safely as possible.

“Three to four weeks, we’ll see what happens,” Carroll said. “We don’t know yet.”

Is Week 1 in play?

“We’re staying optimistic,” Carroll said. “We’ll see what happens.”

Carroll said that Smith-Njigba is in Philadelphia to be further evaluated. He will have surgery no later than Wednesday.

Injury updates on Jordyn Brooks, Jamal Adams

Carroll added inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks is expected to play in the season opener, less than eight months removed from his ACL surgery. Safety Jamal Adams could also return to practice Wednesday for the first time since rupturing a quad tendon in September.

“That’s a big step for him to go forward,” Carroll said. “But it isn’t a step that means he’s going to be back out practicing yet. We want to get him in the flow. … So, I think probably (Wednesday) or the next day we’ll get that done.”

Required reading

(Photo: Tom Hauck / Getty Images)