Tory Horton may be the easiest Seahawks receiver to overlook, but he’s also the one with the clearest path to forcing his way into the conversation.
Seattle’s wideout room already has the names most fans recognize. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the headliner.
Cooper Kupp brings veteran value. Rashid Shaheed adds speed and return-game juice.
Horton, though, is the younger piece who could end up changing the shape of that group if things break right.
The rookie’s first season was cut short by injury, but the production he squeezed out of eight games was eye-catching. Horton scored six touchdowns overall, including five as a receiver and one on a punt return.
He also turned heads with his burst, especially on a 95-yard punt return, and showed he could win with his hands in traffic. With only 13 catches, he found the end zone on 38 percent of them.
If JSN had that kind of rate, he would have had 45 receiving TDs last year.
That kind of scoring pace is not realistic going forward, but the larger point is that Horton already showed he can be more than a deep reserve. Smith-Njigba is locked in as WR1, yet Horton has a real shot to climb into a bigger role and eventually become WR2.
Kupp still matters as a steady possession target and a strong presence in the locker room, but he’s well past 30 and closer to the finish line than the start. Shaheed is a major factor in the return game, though his receiving production may be more limited.
Horton’s draft profile also explains why he’s still something of a forgotten man. Seattle took him in the fifth round in 2025 after a knee injury in college pushed him down boards.
His speed was never in doubt, but his slender frame raised questions about durability. Those questions remain, and he still has to prove he can stay on the field.
Even so, one offseason into his career, Horton showed enough to suggest he can be a dangerous piece of the offense. He’ll line up opposite Smith-Njigba, which should help keep him from drawing constant double teams. If he stays healthy and sharpens his route running, his speed and hands give him the tools to become a real problem for defenses.
That growth could start in 2026. Shaheed is expected to handle the main punt-return job, and losing those special teams snaps could help Horton stay fresher for offensive work.
It may also help explain why Seattle didn’t take a wide receiver early in the 2026 draft. The Seahawks already had Horton on the roster, even if plenty of people outside the building had forgotten it.
If he keeps developing, they may not forget for long.
In Other News...
Seahawks Face A Shocking NFC West Trade Question Right Now
The Seahawks have been searching for more juice off the edge, and the kind of swing that could change that conversation might come from an unlikely place inside the NFC West. A division trade is always a tricky proposition, but the logic is easy to follow: Seattle needs help rushing the passer, and a rival with an eye on future draft capital could be tempted to listen if the right offer comes along.
Josh Sweat is the name floating in that discussion, and there are reasons he would make sense in Seattles front. He is coming off a career-best 12 sacks, and his ability to work in both 3-4 and 4-3 looks would give Mike Macdonald another versatile piece to deploy. The question is whether the Seahawks would really push hard enough to make a rare intra-division deal happen, or whether this stays in the realm of a tempting idea that never quite gets over the line. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Fans Already Fear What New Ownership Could Mean
The Seahawks impending sale has already stirred up the kind of anxiety that comes with any change at the top, especially when the incoming owners are a California-based family with deep pockets and a long NFL footprint. The Khoslas are preparing to take control in a deal valued at $9.6 billion, and while the transaction would make them the franchises new majority owners, it also puts a fresh spotlight on what kind of stewardship they plan to bring to Seattle.
For fans, the bigger worry is not just the price tag but the possibility of a more hands-on ownership style that could seep into football decisions. There is also the awkward reality that the family must give up its minority stake in the 49ers as part of the move, which only adds to the sense that this is a major reshuffling behind the scenes, even before the first official day of the new era arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Two Seahawks Rookies Are Suddenly Pressuring Week 1 Roles
Training camp has a way of sorting out who is really in the mix, and for the Seahawks, a pair of rookies are suddenly worth watching on both sides of the ball. Jadarian Price is getting a real look in the backfield after Kenneth Walker III moved on, while Bud Clark has pushed himself into the conversation at safety as Seattle starts lining up its roster for the season ahead.
Price is competing for carries with George Holani and free-agent addition Emanuel Wilson, which gives the Seahawks a young, unsettled group to sort through at running back. Clarks path is just as interesting, since he is battling Ty Okada for the final starting safety job next to Julian Love, and both of those competitions could shape how the team fills out its depth chart before Week 1. [Read more 🡒]