Seahawks TE Elijah Arroyo refreshed for year two

Published 9:30 am Wednesday, August 12, 2026

RENTON — Elijah Arroyo needed a reset.

After three injury-stricken years at the University of Miami totaling 163 yards, the tight end broke out in 2024 with a 590-yard senior season averaging nearly 17 yards per reception. With short offseasons and rehab from a torn left ACL he suffered his sophomore season, Arroyo simply didn’t have enough time to fulfill a passion project of his: Hosting a football camp in Cancun, Mexico.

Arroyo, who is of Mexican descent, spent six years from ages 7-13 living in Cancun while his father sold timeshares in the area. It was there he enrolled in a youth football program, the Trojans of Cancun, learning the game as he grew into what would become a 6-foot-5, 254-pound NFL tight end frame. Considering his quickness — estimated somewhere in the 4.50s for his 40-yard dash as Arroyo wasn’t able to run at the combine — and his productive senior season, the Seattle Seahawks were confident enough to select Arroyo 50th overall in 2025.

Arroyo missed more time after suffering another knee injury in Week 14, watching as second-year Michigan TE AJ Barner made the position his with a 519-yard, six-TD regular season. Still, Arroyo was able to get back on the field for 21 snaps during February’s Super Bowl 60 win over New England.

But through the ups and downs of his rookie year, a trip back to Cancun sat in his mind. Arroyo saw the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town when he was around 10 years old, leading to formative experiences like seeing veteran cornerback William Gay and others up close and personal.

“That was just the best thing in the world for me,” Arroyo said of the old Steelers camp before practice on Tuesday. “As I got older, I’m like, ‘I want to be able to go back and inspire the kids if I have the chance.’”

With the shorter, albeit intense, Seahawks minicamps in the spring preceding the full-on camp Seattle is currently finishing in this late summer window, Arroyo finally made a trip to Cancun in June and hosted a camp for local youth.

It may have been his first real chance to do it.

“This is the first summer I really had some time off to go out and (host a camp),” Arroyo said. “It was a great turnout.”

As it turns out, Arroyo may have needed some time away from the NFL grindstone.

Arroyo’s rookie season, totaling 179 yards and a touchdown across 13 games, wasn’t his best. He acknowledged he “left food on the table” during a July 28 interview with Seattle Sports 710.

“There’s always little details when I’m watching film, like ‘oh I should’ve done this, or I could’ve done that, so really just trying to take advantage every time I’m on the field,” Arroyo said.

At Miami, Arroyo rarely had time to himself, as offseason programs ate up any semblance of a summer break.

His sophomore-season ACL tear led to a rehab-filled 2023 season holding him back from producing. But taking his time to get back to 100% proved to be the right play, as Arroyo immediately topped his previous season-best of 86 yards with an 89-yard opener in 2024 on just four catches.

“I feel like it molded me,” Arroyo said of coming back from the ACL injury. “I don’t let anything affect my confidence or just how I view myself. I understand the potential that I have with this team.”

In 2026, presumably backing up Barner, Arroyo will need to channel that sense of self. But with new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury coming from a San Francisco 49ers squad that got the most out of All-Pro tight end George Kittle, Arroyo’s athleticism and deep-strike potential could put him in an advantageous position.

He had two catches, one for a touchdown on a fade route to the back right corner of the end zone, during the team’s red-zone 11-on-11 reps on Tuesday afternoon in Renton.

Mentally, Arroyo knows what he needs from himself to be successful.

“Relaxed… trash talking, a little bit on edge, a little angry, but not over the edge,” Arroyo said of his ideal demeanor with a smile.

Physically, however, Arroyo maximized his play at tight end by training his body differently after his ACL tear.

“I kind of played a little bit of receiver growing up, and kind of got molded into a tight end going into college,” Arroyo said. “I know I had to put the weight on and everything. Actually, when I tore my ACL in college… I had to learn how to run again…

“That’s when I had time to focus on my running form, and I came back faster than what I was before.”

Arroyo showed that speed on his lone TD of the 2025 season, beating Washington Commanders safety Tyler Owens for a 26-yard score off a go route in Week 9.

But Arroyo had to make his moments count last season. In games Arroyo was active for, he played 40% of his team’s snaps — that’s compared to a near-80% clip from the standout Barner in the Super Bowl-winning campaign.

Veteran Eric Saubert (40% of snaps in ‘25), second-year man Nick Kallerup (23%) and new signee Nick Vannett round out the tight-end room, with the first preseason game against Dallas coming on Saturday.

With solid options surrounding him, Arroyo has a unique skill set as a former wide receiver that could set him apart this year. The Seahawks have lined him up out wide to see whether the tight end can still make plays from the ‘X’ spot.

Featured on HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ episode on Tuesday night, Arroyo was shown beating safety Rodney Thomas II during a practice on a corner-post double move from a wide-out position, perhaps foreshadowing a hybrid role for Arroyo going forward.

But mastering the basics will always reign supreme when trying to get on the field more. Arroyo is still working on his blocking, a decent facet of his game in 2025, as Seattle tries to maximize rookie RB Jadarian Price after the departure of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III.

For now, the second-year tight end is just focused on finishing out camp strong.

“I’m not really focused on the individual expectations,” Arroyo said. “I’m just trying to just be as prepared as I can be every day, and the results will take care of themselves.”