Seahawks keep Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Leonard Williams limited again as ankle designations loom

The Seahawks’ roster health picture heading into Thursday against the Broncos stayed steady on Tuesday. Seattle released another estimated practice report that again showed wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and defensive tackle Leonard Williams as limited participants, both due to ankle injuries.

According to the Seahawks’ estimated availability report, neither Smith-Njigba nor Williams had their status changed for the second straight day. That detail matters for a team that will make its final game-day calls through the injury designation process, a step that often clarifies who can be used at full speed and who might be limited or held out.

The reported cause for both players’ limited participation was the same, an ankle issue. With the designation timeline in mind, Seattle’s practice week is now largely about monitoring whether each player can progress from limited work toward a full practice or whether the ankles will continue to cap their workloads.

The Seahawks indicated that injury designations for the Thursday matchup will be released on Wednesday. That suggests Tuesday’s practice estimate is not the final word on availability, but rather the latest snapshot before the team makes official determinations for the Broncos game.

For Smith-Njigba, the ankle limitation is particularly relevant because wide receivers depend on repeatable movement patterns, including route breaks, acceleration, and sideline work. Even a “limited” designation can influence how much a receiver is asked to do in practice, and it can shape the routes and snaps coaches are comfortable calling in a short window between practice and kickoff.

For Williams, the impact runs through the interior defensive line, where ankled mobility often affects leverage, lower-body punch, and the ability to drive through contact. When a defensive tackle is limited, it can influence rotational patterns and how confidently the team plans on using him across different down-and-distance situations.

With Seattle and Denver both entering the week with their own roster and game-plan needs, the injury-designation release on Wednesday is the next clear checkpoint. If either player’s designation improves, it could expand Seattle’s options for both the passing game and the front-line run defense. If neither improves, it would likely keep the Seahawks working around the limitation with adjustments to usage and personnel groupings.

Until the injury report is finalized, the only confirmed change is procedural. Tuesday’s estimated practice report again maintained Smith-Njigba and Williams as limited due to ankle injuries, and Wednesday’s designations will determine whether that remains the case for Thursday’s game against the Broncos.