New Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp Envisions Deadly Tandem with Jaxon Smith-Njigba

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In some methods, the addition of Cooper Kupp made excellent sense for the Seattle Seahawks. The crew traded star wideout DK Metcalf, and, in flip, the Seahawks wanted the perfect receiver they may get. Kupp completely certified. 

In some methods, the signing of Kupp was complicated. Final 12 months, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba dominated out of the slot — which was the place Kupp excelled for many of his eight-year tenure with the Rams. And so the transfer put two elite slot receivers into the identical offense.

However that’s not how Kupp sees their pairing.

“The perfect offenses, traditionally, have the flexibility for guys to do various things,” Kupp informed me at Seattle’s joint practices with the Packers final week. “You do not have three one-trick ponies. You’ve received three guys that may do the whole lot you ask them to do. You by no means know the place you are gonna see somebody, and also you by no means know what route you are gonna get, and it’s totally difficult on protection. We’ve received the chance to try this with our guys.”

Cooper Kupp, a Washington native who attended Jap Washington, signed with the Seahawks in March after being launched by the Rams. (Photograph by Jane Gershovich/Getty Photographs)

Final 12 months, Smith-Njigba took 77.6% of his snaps from the slot and Kupp took 62.4% from inside. They will inform you that it gained’t matter. 

In preseason and joint practices, each receivers have been shifting across the formation. They break up broad. They stood within the slot. They stacked on high of one another within the slot. They motioned throughout the formation. They made use of condensed formations. In different phrases, to date the proof is proving them proper.

“I believe you’ll see the whole lot be higher,” Smith-Njigba informed reporters early in coaching camp. “Route-running, catching — it’ll all simply stage up. That’s kinda what I work on. There are particular issues that I attempt to element my work on, however I believe general, you’ll simply see me take it to the subsequent stage.”

Seattle’s starters regarded dialed in in opposition to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in Week 2 of the preseason, with new Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, who has changed Geno Smith, going 4-for-4 for 34 yards, together with a throw to Smith-Njigba for seven yards.

However maybe much more importantly, the Seahawks’ receiver mixture regarded efficient in opposition to the Packers in joint practices at Lambeau Discipline final week. Smith-Njigba and Kupp discovered house inside the Inexperienced Bay protection, which, admittedly, didn’t have cornerback Nate Hobbs or security Xavier McKinney in crew drills. That extremely aggressive observe might need been the strongest case that the 2 pass-catchers aren’t too comparable. They’re displaying an on the spot chemistry with one another.

And so they’re constructing their rapport with their new quarterback.

“All of that stuff [with Darnold] has been simply gradual and continuous,” Kupp informed me. “Each day it is like, ‘Man, we have seen this now. … We all know the place we need to get to, how we need to get there.’ A few of the greatest stuff has been from when we’ve got had misses. We have been already on the identical web page. But it surely’s like, now we all know that is how it is going to be, and the place we need to be at.”

Kupp and Sam Darnold speak earlier than Seattle’s preseason recreation in opposition to the Raiders on Aug. 7. (Photograph by Steph Chambers/Getty Photographs)

The 32-year-old Kupp and the 23-year-old Smith-Njigba will share the slot, but it surely does look like the youthful receiver will tackle a a lot greater position on the surface. And there was no apparent discomfort there throughout the joint observe. Darnold was 7-of-9 when focusing on Smith-Njigba. Darnold additionally discovered Kupp for a completion on the primary throw of 11-on-11 drills — they usually later transformed a third-and-11 when Kupp drew a defensive go interference penalty.

Darnold’s solely interception of the observe got here on a deep go to a streaking Smith-Njigba that hung up simply lengthy sufficient for Packers security Evan Williams to choose it off. That’ll be the realm of focus for Seattle — bettering deep-ball effectivity with out both of its high two wideouts being pure velocity threats. 

Everyone seems to be in a brand new offense this 12 months, even the Seahawks’ returners. Klint Kubiak changed former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. However Darnold and Kupp have familiarity within the system that Kubiak runs, which is an offshoot of the Kyle Shanahan teaching tree. Each of Kupp and Darnold’s earlier stops have been Shanahan offshoots, with Rams coach Sean McVay and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell operating comparable schemes.

“It’s been cool bringing all our experiences and molding it into what will work for us,” Kupp stated. “And simply as a crew, Coach [Kubiak] has been superior when it comes to simply making an attempt to intensify guys’ talent units and listen to concepts on how issues have been carried out prior to now and the way we function.”

Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 100 passes for 1,130 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2024, his second NFL season. (Photograph by Steph Chambers/Getty Photographs)

The reality of the Kubiak (and Shanahan) system is that the passing recreation may not even be the realm that takes precedence. Operating backs Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III might find yourself being the focus because the Seahawks attempt to pivot towards a ball-control, defense-led crew underneath head coach Mike Macdonald, who rose within the NFL as an impressive defensive thoughts.

However the Seahawks are attempting to acclimate Smith-Njigba to a brand new offense in a brand new position whereas getting Kupp and Darnold adjusted to a brand new crew. Kupp stated that the communication between him and his QB has been extraordinarily high-functioning. 

“We have been in a position to have some good conversations round how we see the sport,” Kupp stated. “We speak ball. We’ve got questions. After a play, you get again to the sideline and it’s like, ‘What will we see? What will we like or not like?’ We aren’t positive what the perfect solutions are. … We’ll have extra of these conversations and proceed on.”

Seattle’s offense might need loads of familiarity, in a technique or one other. But it surely completely has a brand new look. So, sure, these conversations will proceed on and on — and maybe in the event that they go properly, they could even carry into the postseason.

Earlier than becoming a member of FOX Sports activities as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years masking the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports activities Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Observe him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna. 

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