Ryan Day breaks down what Jaxon Smith-Njigba's return would mean for Buckeyes offense

Ryan Day is getting one of his top offensive weapons back after the bye week in wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Smith-Njigba was the Buckeyes’ top receiver last season but an injury kept him on the sideline for the last five weeks.

On Tuesday, Day broke down what he believes the pass-catcher’s return means for the offense as they head into the second half of the season.

“I think it allows us more depth there, it takes some stress off the other guys,” Day said. “If you said seven weeks ago that that was going to happen, you would’ve realized that that’s a pretty heavy burden for those guys… I think they’ve done well and benefitted from that, we all have, but getting him back will certainly take some stress off of them and we’ll be at full strength.”

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

Day drew laughs when he responded, “Yeah, I’d say so,” as to whether Smith-Njigba is still considered a starter for the team. Despite his excitement to get the wideout back, he insists he won’t be forcing the ball to him.

“It will happen naturally, we can’t go out there and have expectations,” Day said. “We have to take what the defense is giving us.”

Even without the star wideout, the Ohio State offense is No. 1 in scoring per game with a 48.8-point average. The back half of the season, however, features some tougher opponents, including top-25 teams Michigan and Penn State.

Despite heavily featuring two NFL wide receivers last season, the Buckeyes’ offense still heavily depended on the sophomore. He caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns. This year, he has just four catches and 36 yards.

CJ Stroud believes Buckeyes’ offense is limitless with Smith-Njigba, Williams

Not only do the Buckeyes return Smith-Njigba this week, but tailback Miyan Williams is also on the mend after he missed Week 6 action. Quarterback CJ Stroud discussed his excitement at getting the two weapons back this week and said the offense has no limits moving forward.

“I don’t really think we have a limit,” Stroud said. “I’m super excited to get Jaxon back. And of course, Miyan. Just to see where we’re at full strength. But at the end of the day, I think we gotta press this bye week and make sure that we continue to get better. And hopefully, they come along.

“Of course, I know Jackson and Miyan are two veterans that we need. When you add leadership into that as well, they’ve definitely stepped up in that area. So I definitely think that they’ll come in and have an immediate impact. And I’m actually bummed for Jaxon, man. All the work that he puts in and how hard of work — he’s a good guy. So when you when your brother’s not out there, that kind of hurts a little bit.”