Elijah Arroyo headed to IR as Seahawks add Josiah Deguara

The first sign that something was wrong came Monday morning, when Seattle went shopping for a tight end.

Jeremy Fowler

@JFowlerESPN

Seahawks are signing TE Josiah Deguara to the practice squad, per source. The former third-round pick was last with Philadelphia.

Teams in the middle of October don't call a guy who just got cut by the Eagles unless they have to. About 90 minutes later, Jeremy Fowler gave the reason. Arroyo hurt his shoulder in Thursday's 17-14 overtime loss to the Broncos, and the Seahawks were still working out how bad it was.

Jeremy Fowler

@JFowlerESPN

Seahawks TE Elijah Arroyo is expected to miss time with a shoulder injury suffered Thursday, per sources. Still determining severity but could be an extended absence. Hence, the Deguara signing.

Jeremy Fowler

@JFowlerESPN

Seahawks are signing TE Josiah Deguara to the practice squad, per source. The former third-round pick was last with Philadelphia.

"Could be an extended absence" is how a report sounds right before it gets worse. Less than half an hour later, it did.

Jeremy Fowler

@JFowlerESPN

Update: Arroyo is most likely headed to Injured Reserve, which would put him out at least four weeks.

Jeremy Fowler

@JFowlerESPN

Seahawks TE Elijah Arroyo is expected to miss time with a shoulder injury suffered Thursday, per sources. Still determining severity but could be an extended absence. Hence, the Deguara signing. t.co/rdPEFcWwar

Another year, another stop for the kid. Seattle took Arroyo out of Miami with the 50th pick in 2025, a 6-foot-5 pass catcher the team hoped could do what Noah Fant did, and the medical worries came with him. He had a knee injury in college that hurt 2 of his seasons, and as a rookie a knee strain cost him 4 regular-season games and 2 playoff games before he got back for the Super Bowl win over New England. Year 2 hadn't gone anywhere before this. Through 6 games he has 1 catch on 2 targets for 17 yards.

That's why this isn't a crisis in the box score. It's a depth problem. Deguara is 29 and was a third-round pick by Green Bay in 2020. He has 78 career games across 7 seasons with the Packers, Jaguars, Cardinals and Eagles, and the Eagles let him go last week. He's a blocker and a backup, and that's all Seattle needs right now: a body that knows the job and can be called up off the practice squad on game day.

Next up is a nasty spot. The 3-3 Seahawks host the unbeaten Chiefs on Sunday Night Football on October 25, coming off an overtime loss, and now they're a tight end down. If Arroyo goes on IR this week, the earliest he can return is mid-November. Expect Deguara to get elevated for Sunday, and watch whether Seattle adds another tight end before the trade deadline or just gets by with what it has.