The Seahawks Have an Elijah Arroyo Problem

Seventeen months ago, the Seattle Seahawks made a pick in the second round that confused me in Elijah Arroyo. And now, I’m even more confused.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) and Seattle Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (18) talk post game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When the Seattle Seahawks hired Brian Fleury, a former tight ends coach who had spent much of his career working with George Kittle, no one should have been more excited than Elijah Arroyo. After a quiet rookie campaign of just 15 catches, he now had a coordinator who would doubtlessly work to get the most out of him. At least, that’s what made sense.

A Six Foot Five Ghost

After four games, Arroyo is on track to be even less impactful than he was last season. He has just one catch, a seventeen yard strike over the middle from Drew Lock in week 2. It was a nice looking play that gained a big chunk of yards. You’d think the Seahawks would have a vested interest in trying to make more plays like that happen.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (18) runs the ball past Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker (37) for a touchdown during. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Maybe even more shocking is that that catch is also his only target of the season. On 117 pass attempts this year, Seattle QBs have thrown it at him just once. He’s played 63 snaps total, just barely over a quarter of the total offensive snaps, and the same number as Eric Saubert. He’s yet to play 20 or more snaps in any one game. He’s not really a part of the offense right now.

Fleury’s Just Not That Into You

All this to say, this isn’t even really an indictment of Arroyo individually. Unless he’s playing so poorly in practice that Fleury just doesn’t feel comfortable giving him significant opportunities, this isn’t really his fault. He’s not even getting on the field very much, and despite being a clear physical mismatch, he doesn’t get solid opportunities when he does get snaps.

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury during the first quarter against the New England Patriots. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I understand that this is a low-volume passing attack dominated by Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But there’s no universe where Eric Saubert and Brady Russell should be getting targeted more than Arroyo. I understand Elijah offers little as a blocker, but there are a lot of tight ends in this league who don’t block. Other teams find a way to get them involved. So far, this one hasn’t.

Wasted Potential

Ignore, for a moment, the fact that I wasn’t impressed with Arroyo coming out of college and had him graded in the fifth round. That doesn’t matter. What matters is that John Schneider viewed him as worthy of a top 50 overall draft pick. And after the draft, John went as far as to claim that Elijah was a ‘top 15’ talent who had his stock drop due to injuries.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) can’t make the tackle on Seattle Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (18). | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ten tight ends have been drafted in the top 15 of the draft since 2000. That statement is putting a lot of stock in his abilities. Even if Schneider is getting overzealous with that statement, the fact that he can value a player that highly and then the coaches that he hires can’t even give him a chance to impact games is truly confusing and disappointing.

What Arroyo Can Bring

Right now, the Seahawks are struggling to run the ball. They don’t have their typical allotment of running backs, and the run blocking has been inconsistent. The offense probably needs to open up and throw it more than they’re comfortable with. A player like Arroyo could be very impactful in that circumstance. Times like this demand a player like him.

Miami Hurricanes tight end Elijah Arroyo (8) runs with the ball after a catch against Syracuse Orange defensive back Clarence Lewis (3). | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

AJ Barner, the top Seattle tight end, took on such a heavy workload last year that he had multiple surgeries and took months during the offseason to rehab. I’d say getting him a lighter load of action is important as well. That won’t happen with Arroyo barely touching the field. More work for Arroyo means a healthier Barner down the line. These are the stakes. Figure it out.

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