NFL Suspends Seahawks WR Dee Eskridge

4:26pm: An Eskridge arrest led to this ban. Eskridge was arrested on misdemeanor charges involving his child’s mother in February, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. It is unclear what the charges were, but they are under the domestic violence umbrella. The third-year wide receiver reached an agreement where the charges will be dismissed by virtue of the completion of domestic violence moral recognition therapy. No conviction has occurred, but the NFL does not need one to proceed with a suspension under the personal conduct policy.

3:28pm: Following the long-rumored Alvin Kamara–Chris Lammons suspensions, the NFL is using this Friday afternoon to confirm more bans. In addition to Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu being hit with a six-game suspension, Seahawks wide receiver Dee Eskridge will also be shut down for an extended stretch.

Eskridge received a six-game ban due to a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the league announced. The violation is unknown at this point, but the former second-round pick will be out for a third of his third NFL season.

This creates another hurdle for the former MAC standout, who has not established himself as a dependable pass catcher in Seattle. The Seahawks drafted Eskridge 56th overall in 2021, making him their first draft choice that year (the team had traded its first-rounder in the 2020 Jamal Adams swap). But Eskridge has battled injuries and inconsistency as a pro, having only caught 17 passes for 122 yards since debuting with the Seahawks. A concussion and a toe injury limited Eskridge as a rookie, and a broken hand sidelined him during part of last season. Overall, the Western Michigan alum has missed 14 NFL games.

Seattle also made a splashy addition at receiver this offseason, drafting Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round. The Hawks made the Ohio State product this year’s first receiver off the board, taking him 20th overall. Eskridge was initially pegged as a slot player to go with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf. Smith-Njigba, who dominated for the Buckeyes as a sophomore in 2021 before a nagging hamstring injury kept him off the field for most of last season, is now penciled into that role.

Eskridge’s rookie contract runs through the 2024 season. He is due to make $1.2MM this year. The Seahawks are still thin beyond their high-end top three at receiver. Dareke Young, a 2022 seventh-rounder, joins ex-UDFAs Cody Thompson and Easop Winston as aspiring second-stringers. Altogether, that trio has not totaled 10 receptions. It would not surprise to see the Seahawks make an addition in the wake of Eskridge’s ban.