Elijah Arroyo and Tory Horton lit up the Virginia Mason Athletic Center on Saturday, hauling in multiple touchdowns each in a lighter, pad-less practice that left no doubt about their potential to elevate the Seahawks’ passing game. After an injury-riddled year for both, watching them go off in front of the 12s just feels different. The coaching staff clearly wanted to keep players fresh ahead of Sunday’s off-day, but that didn’t stop these guys from putting on a clinic.
Comeback Kids Take Over the Field
Last season was brutal for both Arroyo and Horton. Arroyo spent time on injured reserve with a knee injury, while Horton cracked his tibia and saw his season end after Week 9. Horton had a bit more productivity, but both have that “it” factor. Saturday was a massive confidence booster for everyone in the Emerald City, especially seeing them each catch multiple scores. Arroyo, the second-year tight end and 2025 draft pick, snagged two touchdowns in one-on-one drills. We saw him fake a move outside right, then cut sharply left to completely turn around safety Rodney Thomas for one. Later, he caught another perfect touchdown pass in the back of the end zone from Sam Darnold, flying past starting safety Ty Okada on a deep route that seemed to confuse Okada and Witherspoon on that side of the field.
Not to be outdone, Tory Horton was on fire. This was his sixth practice out of seven in camp, and his fourth consecutive, showing real progress from his injury. Horton exploded with two touchdowns on consecutive drives during 11-on-11 work. On his first score, the 6-foot-2 receiver leaped over 5-10 cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles, ripping a pass out of the air in the end zone. His second score came out of the left slot on a seam route, with Darnold delivering a bullet pass right into Horton’s hands as he sprinted through the starting secondary to the end zone. That’s the kind of explosiveness our offense needs.
New Blood Stepping Up on Defense
While the offense was slinging it, the defense saw some exciting development too. Rookie safety Bud Clark out of TCU, a real ball-hawking talent, got increased involvement with the starters. He had been practicing seldomly with them to start camp, but with a veteran safety lightly participating (likely a rest day), Clark got extended time. You know he had a dream moment meeting Richard Sherman, which we’ll probably see more of when Hard Knocks drops. After practice, Clark said it “felt amazing” out there. He felt like he was moving fast with the game and “adapted to it pretty well.” That’s the kind of confidence we want to hear from our rookies. Plus, it was good to see veterans Ernest Jones IV and Anthony Bradford back in action with no issues after not finishing practice previously.
With Sunday as an off-day and a return to the field on Monday, the coaching staff is clearly managing workloads to keep everyone fresh. But after seeing Arroyo and Horton explode like that, and Bud Clark stepping up big time, Monday can’t come fast enough! We’re just getting started.
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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