Arroyo Lands on IR, and Seattle's Tight End Room Is Down to One Proven Name

Elijah Arroyo is out, listed on injured reserve, which leaves AJ Barner as the only tight end on this roster with meaningful production this season. Arroyo played 13 games and caught 15 of 26 targets for 179 yards and a touchdown — a modest line, but he was a real second option in that room. Now he isn't available at all.

The depth chart behind Barner is Nick Kallerup, and the team has moved to add at the position via the practice squad. That's the kind of mid-season scramble that happens when a two-man position group loses its second man. Barner has been reliable — 586 yards and 7 touchdowns on 58 catches through 20 games — so the starter is fine. It's everything behind him that's thin.

This is the third position group in as many weeks where Seattle has had to patch depth rather than rotate comfortably. The linebacker room sent Tyrice Knight into a starting role when Drake Thomas went out. The defensive line has been a running concern since I first flagged Williams' availability on October 9. Now the tight end room is operating with essentially one healthy option. None of these individually breaks a 14-3 team, but they're adding up heading into a stretch where the margin for attrition keeps narrowing.