The silence was so very loud when Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was asked about what the Chicago Bears can expect from Seattle's former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who recently took the same position with Chicago.
"Um," Smith-Njigba managed to say before an awkward pause. "This is live?"
He eventually went further, but he didn't have to.
Waldron got the chance to pursue other opportunities with a new coaching staff led by Mike Macdonald taking over the Seahawks. The Bears landed on him with the intent of helping out quarterback Justin Fields, or potentially Caleb Williams with the first-overall pick in this year's NFL Draft.
Waldron's last first-round pick he coached was Smith-Njigba, whom eventually managed to keep it cordial when talking about
"I'm playing," Smith-Njigba said with a sly laugh. "Uh, good luck to y'all. I mean he's a great person, great offensive coordinator. I was very lucky to have him my first year, [I] learned a lot from him.
"I think him and Justin [Fields] will mesh well, and adding more guys around him, I think it'll be great. We'll see."
There's reason to believe why Smith-Njigba wasn't Waldron's biggest fan. Seattle ranked 19th in 11 personnel usage in 2023, using three wide receivers 60% of the time. Smith-Njigba led the team in routes run (423) in this personnel grouping, but was third on the team in targets with 80 behind Tyler Lockett (98) and DK Metcalf (90), per Sports Info Solutions.
Lockett and Metcalf are the Seahawks' top two receivers, and Waldron's offense featured more often for that reason. They ranked 14th in the league in 12 personnel usage, and Smith-Ngijba only ran 10 routes on those plays compared to Lockett's 23 and Metcalf's 26.
These were the raw numbers, but Smith-Njibga's feelings towards Waldron's approach and coaching may've transcended beyond that. Were there specific moments he felt like he should've been on the field or seen the ball? He was the leading receiver at Ohio State when Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Marvin Harrison Jr. were all on the team. He's not used to being a third-wheel in the operation.
Whatever his beef may've been, the Seahawks are going in a new direction. Hopefully their most recent first-round pick will appreciate it.
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