Who’s Quietly Becoming Seattle’s Next Weapon? Rookie Tory Horton Earns First-Team Reps and Has Camp Buzzing

SEATTLE, August 4, 2025 — What started as a low-profile addition this offseason is beginning to rattle the Seahawks’ depth chart. Rookie wide receiver Tory Horton has gone from draft-day afterthought to a camp storyline that’s forcing opponents and teammates to take notice. Horton has been running with the first-team offense at Seattle’s training camp and is showing the kind of sudden confidence that makes evaluators sit up and rewind the tape. Roto Street Journal

The Seahawks’ Football Fan Fest at Lumen Field offered fans a front-row seat to the evolving narrative. Amid game-like 11-on-11 simulations and heavy situational work, Horton flashed his route precision, sudden separation, and the kind of ball skills that earned him significant first-team reps — a rapid elevation for a fifth-round pick. Field Gulls

“It’s not just about getting on the field. It’s about making those moments count,” a quietly impressed offensive coach was overheard saying after practice. Horton’s chemistry with the quarterback room, including Sam Darnold—who has drawn attention for his early work in the Pacific Northwest—has been a soft undercurrent fueling optimism that the Seahawks might have found a low-cost, high-upside target to pair with their veteran core. Field Gulls

Seattle’s offseason has been a balancing act. The team is juggling questions around quarterback stability—Sam Darnold stepping into a prominent role after previous shuffle—and the long-term future of Geno Smith, whose contract situation drew league-wide speculation earlier in the year. While Geno Smith’s future beyond 2025 remains a backdrop, the present camp momentum has shifted some spotlight toward the new wave of playmakers earning trust now. SIESPN.com

Defensively, the Seahawks continue to flex their identity, but it’s the offense—and particularly the emergence of unexpected contributors like Horton—that could define early-season narratives. Seattle’s practice coverage noted that Christian Haynes was absent from some drills due to a minor pec issue, and the backfield rotation has featured veterans while allowing younger pieces to push. Meanwhile, the first-team offense’s rhythm has been aided by players stepping up in the wake of those absences and uncertainties. Field Gulls

The larger implication: Horton’s fast climb gives the Seahawks flexibility in game planning and depth that could mask injuries or slow starts elsewhere. If he continues to earn reps and translate practice performance into preseason momentum, Seattle could have a built-in mismatch weapon in the slot or as a secondary deep threat—one that was quietly developing under the radar all summer. Roto Street Journal

“Guys like Tory, when they start to feel it, the whole room feeds off that,” a source close to the team said. “It’s the kind of energy that turns a training camp buzz into real-season impact.” (Inference based on multiple practice reports and first-team usage patterns.) Field GullsRoto Street Journal

Bottom Line: The Seahawks entered training camp with questions about continuity and playmaker depth. Tory Horton’s rapid rise from mid-round rookie to first-team contributor is the kind of development that could shift expectations quietly but materially—especially if Sam Darnold and the offense find consistent rhythm around him.