Jaxon Smith-Njigba has caught 32 passes for 481 yards and six touchdowns in just four games this NFL season, presenting a formidable challenge for the San Francisco 49ers as they prepare to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Despite his rapid impact, the 49ers have no plans to shadow the star receiver throughout the game.
San Francisco’s defensive coordinator Raheem Morris explained the reasoning behind the team’s approach on Thursday. “There’s always things you can do and that’s always something that’s definitely within the system. But, those guys nowadays are a little bit different,” Morris said. He referenced how shadowing was more straightforward in the past when receivers were more stationary. “Back in the day when you shadowed somebody, you moved, the other people didn’t move. That was back when Marvin Harrison played on one side and Reggie Wayne played on one side and they just sat there. But as you see in today’s game, there’s a bunch of different things that happen, moving parts. People move, they move inside, they move outside, they move into the backfield, particularly these guys and how they game plan.”
Deommodore Lenoir, the 49ers cornerback who defended Smith-Njigba during last year’s divisional playoff in Seattle, has asked to take on the shadowing role. San Francisco also had Charvarius Ward in previous seasons who filled that role. Yet the team has decided against following Smith-Njigba everywhere on the field. Morris said, “That’s not always the best thing for the team at times.”
Morris added that Lenoir will still match up with Smith-Njigba frequently. “He will match up a little bit. They cannot stay away from each other, but we won’t do necessarily the shadow thing where you follow him inside, you follow him outside. There’s things we have to do, how we play our game, that won’t be able to pinpoint that all the time, but there will definitely be moments that they’ll get a chance to get together.” He acknowledged the answer may seem vague but insisted, “It’s just one of those things of it’s just not the same as it used to be.”
Smith-Njigba’s versatility is a major reason the 49ers find shadowing impractical. The Seahawks move him all over the field, drawing targets regardless of quarterback. Morris pointed out that many top corners now cover receivers who shift positions constantly. “You have these corners, whether it be Patrick Surtain or whether it was Jalen Ramsey or whether it’s DMo. Those receivers are all over the place. As you see our guys moving around all over the place, there’s not just a stationary X anymore, a stationary Z. It just doesn’t work that way.”
The 49ers’ defensive strength lies in limiting explosive plays, which will be tested by Smith-Njigba’s ability to win from different spots. Morris noted that the defensive game plan must remain flexible. “There’s definitely times you can. There’s definitely got-to-have-it moments you can match those things up. It’s definitely dictated by the call at times like some of those things give things away. These quarterbacks nowadays are too smart to just go out there and determine things and dictate things before the snap. You want to be able to sort it out a little bit as they’re taking the snap, taking their drop, going through their process, if that makes sense.”
San Francisco’s defense has done well so far in limiting big plays this season, but slowing Smith-Njigba will be their toughest assignment yet. The upcoming game on Sunday will take place on the road at Seattle’s Lumen Field, intensifying the rivalry between these NFC West foes. The 49ers will rely on a multifaceted defensive approach rather than the traditional shadow coverage to contain the Seahawks’ leading receiver.
According to Yahoo Sports.
