Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo is staring down another stint on the injured reserve list, a tough blow for the second-year player and a big hit to the Emerald City’s tight end depth. The injury, a shoulder issue sustained last Thursday, is severe enough to sideline him for at least four games.
Another Unlucky Break for Arroyo as TE Depth Takes a Hit
Arroyo’s shoulder injury happened while he was trying to recover Rashid Shaheed’s fumble during our tough loss to the Denver Broncos. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is reporting that this thing is bad enough to put him on injured reserve, which means he’s out for a minimum of four games. With the bye week conveniently falling after that four-game IR period, the absolute earliest we could see Arroyo back on the field is Week 12, when the Hawks travel to face the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving weekend. It’s a gut punch, especially since Arroyo had only just started to get into a rhythm this season, albeit with just two targets and one catch for 17 yards while sharing snaps with fellow backup tight end Eric Saubert. Now, with him out, those snaps need to go somewhere.
The Lingering Health Questions and What It Means for the Depth Chart
This isn’t Arroyo’s first rodeo with injuries, and that’s a real concern. When the Seahawks drafted him in the second round at No. 50 overall, everyone raved about his receiving skills, but even then, his health was a known caution. Back in 2022, he suffered a severe ACL tear that limited him to just four games in 2023. Then, after making it through 2024 without missing a game, he hurt his knee at the Senior Bowl and couldn’t participate in the NFL Scouting Combine. Toward the end of last regular season, he went to injured reserve again after hurting his knee against the Atlanta Falcons, though thankfully he was activated in time for the NFC Championship Game. The good news, if there is any, is that this time it’s not another knee injury, but it’s still an unfortunate pattern of setbacks. What’s particularly telling about the situation is that even before Arroyo got hurt against the Broncos, Nick Kallerup was already active for the first time since Week 3 and actually out-snapped Arroyo. This suggests the coaching staff was already exploring other options. With Arroyo now sidelined for the foreseeable future, the team quickly signed Josiah Deguara to the practice squad, which feels like a smart insurance move for our tight end room.
The Seahawks are back at practice on Monday, and we should expect an official confirmation on Arroyo’s long-term status pretty soon. It’s going to be a real test for the rest of our tight ends to step up and fill the void.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
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