ESPN names Seattle Seahawks rookie Elijah Arroyo as a fantasy football league winner

Arroyo may not be at the top of Seattle's tight end depth chart yet, but it's not hard to imagine him getting there by midseason.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (18) signs an autograph for a fan on his way to a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. | Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Nobody seems to know exactly what to expect from Klint Kubiak and his new offense for the Seattle Seahawks. The broad strokes should be familiar to Seattle fans, who have seen their team getting thrashed by similar schemes from Sean McVay's Rams and Kyle Shanahan's 49ers for several years now.

Short version: Seahawks fans should expect a whole lot of outside zone runs, a fair amount of 12 personnel, and occasional deep play action shots from Sam Darnold. The details are yet to be determined, though - and aside from Jaxon Smith-Njigba leading the receiver room we just don't know what kind of carries or targets anybody else is going to get.

The confusion is illustrated by two conflicting recent season preview pieces. One from Rotoballer has named Seahawks rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo one of the NFL's biggest preseason fallers. Another from ESPN has named him as a fantasy league winner.

ESPN on Elijah Arroyo

"Elijah Arroyo. The tight end is a fluid mover in the open field with the buildup speed to tack on numbers after the catch, and he has the profile to be used as a "move" tight end under Kubiak. In his final college season at Miami, Arroyo caught 35 passes for 590 yards and seven touchdowns. He's a deeper-league target."

Aug 15, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (18) runs for yards after the catch against Kansas City Chiefs safety Nazeeh Johnson (13), linebacker Cole Christiansen (48) and safety Bryan Cook (6) during the first quarter at Lumen Field. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

So, which take are we to believe?

We think the answer can be split into two parts. At least at the outset of the season it's difficult to see Arroyo making a big impact for Seattle's passing game - assuming he is indeed the No. 2 tight end on the depth chart under AJ Barner. It takes time for any rookie to get accustomed to the competition at this level, and Arroyo could still need more time in the oven.

However, by the time midseason rolls around Arroyo should be up to speed and more than familiar with Kubiak's playbook. If he can ascend the depth chart and pass Barner to become the starter he could be in for a huge piece of the offense, as Kubiak's tight ends in New Orleans were last year.

Once he's ready to go, Arroyo's superior athleticism and playmaking ability should earn him a significantly larger portion of the passing pie than Barner, and perhaps more than any wide receivers but JSN and Cooper Kupp.

To be continued...

More Seahawks on SI stories

Mike Macdonald gives blunt five-word opinion on the Seahawks’ rivals

Seahawks dubbed ‘despicable copycats’ over Oregon-looking uniforms

DeMarcus Lawrence comments on Jerry Jones trading Micah Parsons

Mike Macdonald finally reveals Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line starters