Seahawks rookie WRs step up in Metcalf’s absence

Published 1:30 am Monday, October 23, 2023

The Seahawks’ two rookie receivers took very different routes to arrive in the NFL.

And they scored touchdowns in two very different ways Sunday in helping the Seahawks to a 20-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was about as open as a receiver gets in the NFL on his 28-yard TD reception from Geno Smith on a play-action pass in the first quarter.

Running out of the slot on the left side of the formation, Smith-Njigba ran up the seam untouched and unnoticed, hauling in the first TD catch of his career to give the Seahawks a 7-0 lead.

Fittingly, Jake Bobo’s touchdown reception wasn’t quite so simple.

His catch on the far right edge of the end zone was initially ruled incomplete.

It wasn’t until Pete Carroll threw the red challenge flag — just before the Seahawks were getting ready to snap the ball on the next play — that it started to become clear the Bobo might have gotten both feet in bounds as he hauled in the catch.

And, indeed, after a lengthy review, officials overturned the call on the field, rewarding Bobo’s tiptoe efforts with a touchdown, giving the Seahawks a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.

“Phenomenal footwork,” Smith said. “I think we can now say Jake’s probably up there with Tyler (Lockett) with it comes down to the toe-drag swag.”

After a stellar career at Ohio State, the 21-year-old Smith-Njigba was the first receiver taken in the NFL draft this spring. He signed a four-year rookie contract worth $14.7 million, with a $7.4 million signing bonus.

The 25-year-old Bobo, meanwhile, went undrafted after running a 4.99-second 40-yard dash. That’s a decent time for an offensive lineman. It’s unheard of for an NFL wide receiver. The Seahawks called and convinced him to sign for $10,000.

And there they both were Sunday, on a day when the Seahawks were without star receiver DK Metcalf, arriving at just the right time for Seattle’s offense.

“It was pretty incredible, man, for them to be able to go out there and play their hearts out,” said Lockett, the veteran receiver. “They got a lot of opportunities and they really made them count.”

Smith-Njigba finished with four catches (on seven targets) for 63 yards. Bobo finished with four catches (on five targets) for 61 yards.

Lockett and Thomas Rawls were the last Seahawks rookies to have touchdown receptions in the same game (vs. the 49ers in 2015). Sunday was the first time the Seahawks had two rookie receivers record a TD reception in the same game.

“It means a ton,” Bobo said. “We were waiting for Jax to get going and we obviously knew we needed to get him the ball, and we did today. So now you guys are seeing what we see every day in practice. But with (Metcalf) out, we knew we were going to have to step up.”

One by one, teammates greeted Smith-Njigba on the sideline after his first-quarter touchdown. Rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon was more elated than anyone — skipping and jumping his way around Smith-Njigba in celebration — and Bobo lingered for a bro hug and several playful tabs on Smith-Njigba’s helmet.

“Amazing,” Smith-Njigba said of the reception from teammates. “Definitely (from) ‘Spoon and the rookie class that I’ve really built a bond with, and all the older guys showing us the way — it’s truly meant a lot. Definitely want to give a shoutout to DK and Tyler Lockett for putting a lot (of time) into me and giving me more confidence to go out there and show what I can do.”

Bobo, at 6-foot-4 and 207 pounds, had been used mostly as a run-blocker early in the season, a role he says he relishes. He’s starting to show he has the potential to be more than that for this Seahawks offense.

“There’s no catch he can’t make,” Carroll said. “There’s nothing he can’t do. … I totally trust him.”