Seahawks WR Tory Horton elaborates on last year’s ‘weird’ injury

Tory Horton might have been the most efficient wide receiver on the Seattle Seahawks’ roster last year.

Analyst: Seahawks WR Tory Horton looks ‘fast’ and ‘ready’

The 2025 fifth-round draft pick would likely have been drafted higher, but a serious knee injury that prematurely ended his final season with Colorado State left him available on Day 3 for Seattle. It was a solid return on investment over the season’s first half: Horton had five touchdowns on just 13 receptions and another score on a franchise-record 95-yard punt return.

Horton was part of a key fourth-and-2 conversion for a touchdown in a Week 5 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but his best performance came in a Week 9 rout of the Washington Commanders, where he hauled in all four targets for 48 yards and two touchdowns.

That was also the final game of his season.

The severity of Horton’s injury wasn’t immediately obvious. He was inactive for Weeks 10 and 11 before being placed on injured reserve. But there was no word of surgery and no real information other than the location – “shin” – which left fans hopeful for a return and reporters in the dark about a timeline.

In hindsight, Horton and the Seahawks were unclear on a timeline, too.

“It kind of started off as like shin splints,” Horton explained during an interview on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy. “I’ve never really had it. It started off on the right side of my leg, and after each week and with practices, it kept getting worse and worse. After the Commanders game, … that’s when they discovered it was cracked. So that was pretty much the reason I was feeling that pain.

“The whole mindset was trying to get it to heal on its own. I actually started running back on the field again and moving, (but) getting it rescanned, it was never really healing even though I was feeling a little better. The results just weren’t there. So, kind of took the next step of getting the surgery done. It was weird. But I’m happy to be back out.”

Horton isn’t sure yet what his role will be in the offense this fall – “wherever they need me, really,” he said – which can sound like a lack of direction. It’s not. Horton gives Seattle a versatile option, being able to be used inside and outside, and on special teams. There are still unanswered questions and plenty of untapped potential with Horton, who only appeared in eight games last year, but Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus called him one of Seattle’s best route runners.

Horton is focused on trying to tap into that potential in his second year. He didn’t take many trips this offseason, remaining focused instead on treatment and rehab post-surgery. That’s a worthwhile endeavor when you’ve got a new offensive coordinator, too.

“He’s hammered in on the details,” Horton said of former San Francisco 49ers run game coordinator Brian Fleury, who was hired to replace Klint Kubiak as Seattle’s OC this past spring. “That’s what you want from an OC. Real chill. He’s not afraid to pull you and just tell you straightforward … getting the point across, short and sweet. It’s not a whole rah-rah to it.”

Listen to the full Bump and Stacy conversation with Tory Horton at this link or in the video atop this story.

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