C.J. Stroud reveals how he knew Jaxon Smith-Njigba was going to be special
There have been a lot of pleasant surprises for the Seattle Seahawks this year, especially on offense. Sam Darnold is not only living up to expectations, he's playing better than ever before - including last year's breakout campaign with the Minnesota Vikings.
Darnold's primary target has been the team's new No. 1 wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is by far the biggest surprise of all. Heading into Week 7, JSN leads the NFL with 696 receiving yards - and he's getting buzz as an Offensive Player of the Year candidate.
One guy who isn't surprised by JSN blowing up is this week's opponent, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud - who played with him at Ohio State.
Stroud told reporters earlier this week that he knew Smith-Njigba was going to be special when he made a crazy one-handed catch in his very first college practice.
C.J. Stroud on Jaxon Smith-Njigba
JSN's traditional numbers are impressive enough, but the advanced stats show that he's blowing away the competition - breaking nearly every chart there is to measure receiving production this season.
This week Smith-Njigba will face his toughest test yet of 2025. The Texans will have him shadowed by star DB Derek Stingley, who has the second-biggest cornerback contract in the league.
So far Stingley has lived up to the Houston's big offseason investment, allowing just a 50% completion rate, zero touchdowns and a 60.6 passer rating when targeted.
Not everyone is a fan of Stingley's body of work this season, though. For what it's worth, Pro Football Focus has Stingley graded out at 51.2 in coverage and 47.6 overall, which ranks 145th out of cornerbacks with enough snaps to qualify.
By comparison, JSN is thriving according to PFF's grading system. Only LA Rams star Puka Nacua has a higher grade at wide receiver through six games.
Either way, whoever gets the best of this particular one on one matchup will go a long way towards securing a win for their team.
Broncos Release Veteran QB in Preparation for Dre Greenlaw Move
The Denver Broncos are clearing the way for linebacker Dre Greenlaw to make his official debut in the Mile High for Week 7 against the New York Giants.
According to Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette, the Broncos will be releasing quarterback Sam Ehlinger from the 53-man roster to clear the way for the return of linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
Per Tomasson, Ehlinger will likely remain onboard the practice squad as a veteran quarterback option, but now drops the Broncos' active roster to 52 names in order to elevate Greenlaw on Saturday.
Greenlaw has been out of the mix for Denver's defense since his signing this offseason across the first six games of the season due to a quad injury.
However, leading up to the Broncos' contest this weekend at home against the Giants, he's seen his status upgraded to questionable after being a full participant in Friday's practice. He was previously a limited participant for Denver's first two practice sessions of the week.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton hinted towards Greenlaw's potential return vs. New York following Friday's session, while also noting that the linebacker had a good week of practice.
“We’ll see. We’ll see," Payton said of Greenlaw's status vs. the Giants. "You’ll get a chance to see when [the injury report] comes out."
Now with the injury report noting Greenlaw as questionable and Ehlinger's release and a full participant in practice after two limited showings, it seems like it'll be all systems go for the veteran linebacker after being inactive for the first third of the season.
During Greenlaw's last season with the San Francisco 49ers, he was limited to just two games as a result of his season-ending Achilles injury. His last healthy season sample size came during 2023, when he started 15 games on a strong 49ers front seven, posting 120 total tackles, five TFLs and a sack.
He would eventually go on to ink a three-year deal worth $31.5 million with Denver earlier this offseason, but would be forced to patiently wait to make his debut wearing blue and orange.
That wait seems to now be meeting its end, as the Broncos' defense will add their long-awaited standout to the front seven this weekend to bolster their already-stout unit.
