Seattle Seahawks Record Holder Returns After Season-Ending Injury

The Seattle Seahawks received an immediate boost at their first training camp practice Saturday, with second-year wide receiver Tory Horton cleared to return from the shin injury that ended his rookie season.

Gregg Bell of The News Tribune reported on X that Horton was not placed on the physically unable to perform list and took the field with the rest of the team.

The development puts Horton in position to compete from the opening practice rather than spending the start of camp working off to the side.

For Seattle, Horton gives the offense another vertical option behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed, while his return ability can allow the Seahawks to reduce Shaheed’s workload on special teams.

Horton Returns After Promising Rookie Season Ended Early

Horton packed considerable production into a limited role before the injury.

The 2025 fifth-round pick caught 13 passes for 161 yards and five touchdowns in eight games.

He also scored on a franchise-record 95-yard punt return, giving him six total scores during the first half of his rookie season.

His final appearance came in Seattle’s Week 9 victory over the Washington Commanders, when he caught two touchdown passes.

The shin injury then kept him out of the next two games before the Seahawks placed him on injured reserve Nov. 22. Horton never returned, missing the remainder of the regular season and the entire postseason run to Super Bowl LX.

Head coach Mike Macdonald offered a cautious timetable in March, saying Horton probably would not be at full strength when the offseason program began but was expected back for training camp.

Macdonald later said Horton could return on the opening day or within the first several practices, depending on his progress.

Saturday confirmed he was back and ready to go.

Horton’s presence on the field means Seattle can begin evaluating his timing, conditioning and place in the receiver rotation immediately, although Macdonald previously indicated the team would be careful with his initial workload.

The Seahawks still have reason to manage that workload.

Horton’s final season at Colorado State was also cut short by a leg injury.

But at least, a full training camp would give him the gradual buildup he did not receive during the spring.

Seahawks Gain Another Option in Crowded Receiver Rotation

Horton returns to a deeper group than the one he left.

Smith-Njigba enters camp as the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year, Kupp remains a trusted veteran, and Seattle re-signed Shaheed after acquiring him at the 2025 trade deadline.

The Seahawks have already indicated that Shaheed should have a larger offensive role during his first full season with the team.

That creates an opening for Horton on special teams.

Seattle listed the return jobs among its major camp questions because an expanded role for Shaheed could lead the coaching staff to remove some of those snaps from his workload.

Horton gives the Seahawks a credible alternative on punts after averaging 14.9 yards per return as a rookie. He can also rotate into offensive packages built to stretch the field, forcing defenses to account for both his and Shaheed’s speed when they share the field.

Targets may be difficult to find behind Seattle’s established top three, but Horton doesn’t need heavy volume to affect the offense. His five touchdowns on 13 catches showed how quickly he can turn limited opportunities into points.

Horton now has a full camp to validate last season’s limited opportunities were only the beginning.

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