Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba briefly left Sunday’s game against the 49ers in the first half with a mild inversion sprain of his right ankle, then came back and scored a touchdown in the third quarter. Smith-Njigba, the NFL’s leading receiver last season and the AP Offensive Player of the Year, went to the sideline for evaluation, was cleared by the medical staff, and returned to the field. The Seahawks have not announced a formal diagnosis.
An inversion sprain happens when the foot rolls inward, stressing the ligaments on the outside of the ankle. Mild ones often allow a player to return quickly, as Smith-Njigba did, but they can also stiffen after the game, so the real test is how the ankle responds in the days that follow. Seattle’s next game is Thursday night at Denver on October 15, a short turnaround that leaves little time for swelling to settle, and his practice participation when the team returns will be the first real signal.
Smith-Njigba has not had a documented ankle sprain, so this appears to be a new issue. His injury history is mostly other areas. He fractured his left wrist in an August 2023 preseason game, needed surgery, and was back for the opener, and a lingering hamstring injury limited him to about 60 snaps in his final season at Ohio State. In Super Bowl LX last February, he left the game for a concussion evaluation after a hit midway through the third quarter, was seen getting his ankle or foot looked at, and returned in the fourth quarter, saying afterward he was fine.
The quick return is a good sign for a Seattle offense that leans heavily on him, and the touchdown shows he was not limited in a meaningful way. The things to watch are whether he stays in the game through the fourth quarter, whether the Seahawks list him on this week’s injury report, and how he moves on cuts and breaks when he comes back against the Broncos.
