Seahawks Designate Elijah Arroyo for Return Off Injured Reserve
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="6815"]
Seattle Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (18) warms up before a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images [/caption]
Benefiting from an earned bye week as the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the Seattle Seahawks hope to have another weapon for Sam Darnold back healthy just in time for their Divisional Round matchup.
After missing the required four games on injured reserve to close out the regular season with a knee injury, the Seahawks designated rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo to return to practice on Wednesday, opening his 21-day window to be activated to the 53-man roster. Under league rules, the team does not have to make any corresponding moves while he practices until he’s added back to the active roster.
Selected 50th overall in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Miami, Arroyo has played extensive snaps since Week 1 as the No. 2 tight end behind AJ Barner, logging 316 snaps in 13 games while starting four games. With Barner receiving the lion’s share of targets from Darnold, the rookie hasn’t had a ton of opportunities to impress as a pass catcher, recording 15 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown on 26 targets. Three of those targets have resulted in interceptions, as he and the quarterback haven’t always been on the same page.
But the athletic Arroyo has demonstrated the ability to create downfield and after the catch when granted chances to make plays on offense, and his presence would bring back another viable field-stretching option for Darnold to work with in the postseason. Four of his 15 receptions have gone for at least 24 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown against the Commanders back in Week 9.
With Arroyo returning to practice during the bye week, the rookie tight end likely will have five practices under his belt before the Divisional Round, making it a strong possibility he will be activated for the game. Seattle currently has one of its eight regular season injured reserve designations remaining to use, meaning the team still would have two additional designations at their disposal for the rest of the playoffs if needed.
As far as other players who could return for a playoff run, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald expressed doubt about rookie receiver Tory Horton being able to return from a shin injury, saying the team is “not counting on” him being available for the remainder of the season. The fifth-round pick out of Colorado State has been sidelined since Week 10 and after weeks of uncertainty regarding his injury, it appears he will need significantly more time to heal before he would be able to suit up again.
But while Horton may be a long shot at best to play again and receiver Cody White won’t be eligible after landing on injured reserve last week, linebacker Chazz Surratt and running back George Holani would be eligible to return at any time for Seattle and could be possibilities with Macdonald having more positive updates on that front last Friday.
"Really all those guys with the exception of Tory and Cody I would say at some point would be capable of coming back," Macdonald said.
Considering the extra time at their disposal, after Arroyo’s much-anticipated return on Wednesday, the Seahawks could make additional moves with Surratt and/or Holani practicing next week leading up to the Divisional Round as a means for bolstering their special teams units. Time will tell if such moves happen, however, or if the team opts to wait with hopes of bringing one or both players back for the NFC Championship game if they advance.
