Seattle Seahawks rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was initially a slow burn to begin his NFL career as he was adjusting to life as a professional.
Smith-Njigba didn't surpass 34 receiving yards in his first month of football as he adjusted the offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's scheme.
But lately, the rookie is starting to heat up on the field as he has gone over 40 yards in six of his last seven games while catching two touchdowns in the process.
And per Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, the rookie's continuing to reach new levels of confidence as he prepares to play near his hometown of Rockwall, Texas for the first time as a pro on Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
"I definitely think Jaxon's confidence is sky-high right now," Waldron said. "[He] was able to battle through the tough start where he had his wrist injury and getting his rapport going with everything, and now I think you see his talent is coming to life, and he goes out there and works hard every day. It's no surprise he's going to continue to get better.
Smith-Njigba is from the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, as Rockwall is about a 40-minute drive from where the Cowboys play in Arlington.
While his stats of 406 receiving yards and two touchdowns through 11 games don't jump off the page, Smith-Njigba is doing everything the coaching staff asks of him.
Now, tasked with facing a rampant Cowboys team, Smith-Njigba will be needed if the Seahawks are to cause an upset.
After coming off such a poor loss to the San Francisco 49ers that saw a horror-filled first half as the catalyst for the loss, is there a sense of urgency from the Seahawks to get back on the winners list straight away?
"I think there's an urgency every week in the NFL," Waldron said. "I think after a performance like we had this past week, like I said, showing up on that Wednesday practice schedule, just the intensity, the sense of urgency, that urgent enjoyment that the players still need to find because this is a game of excitement, a game of playing with energy, so finding that balance."
The Seahawks are heavy underdogs against the Cowboys and will hope that everything they worked on during practice this week pays off.
Coming off such a poor loss last week, the want to right the wrongs against Dallas will be strong. And with Smith-Njigba's confidence sky-high, he might loom as the key to the Seahawks emerging from AT&T Stadium with a win.
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