This is the second consecutive year Horton has had a season-ending injury. But Seattle is getting better quickly at left tackle.
Tory Horton’s season is apparently over.
Good — no, great — thing for the Seahawks their general manager traded for Rashid Shaheed.
Coach Mike Macdonald said Friday following practice before his 13-3 team boarded its plane to the NFC West title game at the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) Saturday night (5 p.m., ABC and ESPN, KOMO channel 4 locally) the Seahawks don’t expect Horton to play in Seattle’s upcoming postseason.
The team’s speedy wide receiver, kick returner and fifth-round draft choice this spring hasn’t played since he got his most snaps all season and caught two touchdown passes from Sam Darnold Nov. 2, in Seattle’s blowout of the Commanders in Landover, Maryland. Horton emerged in that game veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp missed with an injury.
Horton has been on injured reserve the last two months with a shin issue. It isn’t getting better anytime soon, his coach said Friday.
Macdonald said the team doesn’t expect Horton, who had a team-record 95-yard punt return for a touchdown to spark a runaway first half to beat New Orleans Sept. 21, to play again until next season.
“What he has, it just takes a long time to heal,” Macdonald said. “We’re planning on not having him.
“And if something happens — which we’re not counting on — and he’s able to come back, then that’s great. But right now we’re planning on not having him. He just needs time and rest.
“It’s unfortunate.” This is the second consecutive year Horton’s had a season-ending injury. A knee injury in October 2024 ended his college career at Colorado State. It’s why he fell to the fifth round in the draft.
General manager John Schneider decided to send New Orleans two third-day draft picks to acquire Shaheed the first week of November. That was the week Horton’s shin condition appeared, during a practice days after the Commanders game. Macdonald said at the time Horton’s injury was a carry over from that Washington game.
Shaheed arrived in Seattle and immediately became a game- and field-changing force in kickoff and punt returns. His speed deep on pass routes also has changed how opponents defend NFL receiving yards leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The Seahawks would not have rallied from 16 points down to the Rams with 10 minutes left to force overtime and eventually win Dec. 18 if Shaheed hadn’t returned a punt for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Last weekend Shaheed got concussed by Carolina’s Mike Jackson throwing him down hard into the turf beyond the sideline following an 8-yard catch and run.
Here's #Panthers CB Mike Jackson playing as dirty as that POS @jayceehorn_ slamming Rashid Shaheed to the ground after he's 2 yds out of bounds.
— Setting The Edge (@SettingTheEdge) December 28, 2025
Looks like a one game suspension to me @nfl. pic.twitter.com/Cftx4jEW1R
A team doctor then an independent doctor cleared Horton this week out of the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Shaheed will play Saturday night at San Francisco.
“To my understanding, it was a good exam (by an independent neurologist) right there at the (Carolina) game,” Macdonald said. “I know he’s confident at where he’s at and feels great, had a good week.
“Yeah, I think he’s in a good spot.”
Shaheed will be a weapon on special teams and in Darnold’s passing game Saturday night the Seahawks did not have in their loss to San Francisco 17-13 at Lumen Field back in week one, Sept. 7.
Charles Cross for playoffs
Charles Cross will miss his third consecutive game Saturday night with the hamstring injury he got on Jason Myers’ game-winning field goal to end Seattle’s win over Indianapolis Dec. 14.
Macdonald said the Seahawks are expecting Cross to start in their first playoff game.
If Seattle beats San Francisco, the Seahawks will have a first-round bye and begin the playoffs in the divisional round the weekend of Jan. 17-18. If Seattle loses Saturday it will play next weekend in the wild-card round at the NFC South champion, either Carolina or Tampa Bay.
“We’re optimistic for next week, or the week after (if they don’t play until then), for Charles,” Macdonald said. The coach said special-team mainstay Chazz Surratt (ankle), running back George Holani (hamstring) and rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo (knee) also have chances to return off IR for the Seahawks’ playoff games.
Josh Jones latest
Coaches have liked how veteran swing tackle Josh Jones has played the last two games starting for Cross.
Jones is questionable to play Saturday night. The team lists him with knee and ankle issues. But he practiced for the first time this week on Thursday. It’s trending toward Jones starting at San Francisco, though Macdonald was purposefully coy avoiding declaring that Friday.
“He’s doing good. He’s progressing,” Macdonald said with a grin. “Yeah, yeah.
“It’s questionable if he’s going to play...Injury report is what it is. We will stick with it right now.”
Category: General Sports
