Seahawks Tight End Elijah Arroyo Out for the Season After Shoulder Surgery

The Seattle Seahawks got some tough news this week. Tight end Elijah Arroyo hurt his shoulder during a Week 6 game against the Denver Broncos and will need surgery. Because of the injury, Arroyo's entire season is now over before it really got started.

Arroyo got hurt during Seattle's 17-14 overtime loss to the Broncos on 'Thursday Night Football.' After the game, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said he wasn't sure how long Arroyo would miss, but that it would be 'a significant amount of time.' A few days later, sports reporter Adam Schefter of ESPN confirmed the worst — Arroyo would have shoulder surgery and would not play again this season.

Arroyo was a second-round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which means the Seahawks had high hopes for him. This season, he had only one catch for 17 yards before going down with the injury. In his rookie year, he caught 15 passes for 179 yards and scored a touchdown, so fans were looking forward to seeing him grow as a player.

With Arroyo out, Seattle still has three other tight ends on their roster. AJ Barner, Eric Saubert, and Nick Kallerup will all step up to fill his spot. Losing Arroyo hurts, but the team will have to move on without him.

There was some better news for Seattle, though. Running back Zach Charbonnet was activated from the PUP list, which stands for Physically Unable to Perform. He had torn the ACL in his left knee during the playoffs last year, and coming back from that kind of injury takes a lot of hard work and courage.

Coach Macdonald praised Charbonnet for his amazing recovery. 'It's remarkable,' Macdonald said. 'Those who have tried to come back from a significant knee surgery understand the undertaking that it takes. Zach's a beast. He looks great.' Macdonald added that it takes real courage for a player to push through that kind of challenge and return to the field so quickly.

It was not yet clear how much Charbonnet would play in the team's next game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs came into the matchup with a perfect 5-0 record, while the Seahawks stood at 3-3. Another running back, rookie Jadarian Price, is also on injured reserve with a chest injury, so Charbonnet's return is especially important for Seattle's offense right now.