Seahawks TE Elijah Arroyo out for season after shoulder surgery; Zach Charbonnet activated from PUP

The Seattle Seahawks got one player back and lost another on the same Thursday afternoon.

Seattle placed second-year tight end Elijah Arroyo on injured reserve Thursday, Oct. 22, and he is set to undergo shoulder surgery that will end his 2026 season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. In the same move, the Seahawks activated running back Zach Charbonnet from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, using Arroyo’s spot on the 53-man roster.

So, what happened to Arroyo?

Arroyo hurt his shoulder in Seattle’s loss to the Denver Broncos last Thursday night. The team hasn’t released further details beyond the IR placement, and the surgery is scheduled for Thursday, per Schefter.

A 2025 second-round pick, Arroyo was still carving out a role in his second regular season. He had one catch for 17 yards on two targets through six games, according to CBS Sports. To be honest, that’s a quiet stat line for a player Seattle invested a Day 2 pick in, and now his development gets pushed to 2027.

The good news: Charbonnet is back

Charbonnet is returning from ACL surgery he had in February. He returned to practice Oct. 1, which opened a 21-day window that closed Thursday, meaning Seattle had to either add him to the active roster or keep him on PUP for the year. He was listed as a full participant on Wednesday’s practice report for the first time.

Head coach Mike Macdonald said Monday there’s a “possibility” Charbonnet plays in some capacity Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to Seattle Sports.

What’s next for Seattle?

The Seahawks sit at 3-3 and face a heavy test Sunday night in the undefeated Chiefs (5-0), who are dealing with their own injury news after placing left tackle Josh Simmons on IR this week. Seattle’s tight end room gets thinner without Arroyo, while the backfield gets a familiar runner back at the right time.

Why it matters

Mind you, this is a classic roster trade-off: Seattle swaps a young tight end who hadn’t broken through for a running back it has been waiting on since February. In a 3-3 season that could go either way, getting Charbonnet back matters more on Sunday than losing Arroyo does. The bigger question is whether the Seahawks ease Charbonnet in or lean on him right away against a Chiefs team that hasn’t lost yet. There’s no sense in panicking over the tight end spot; the real story is how much Charbonnet has left in the tank coming off a knee rebuild.

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