The Seattle Seahawks are moving on from a former highly regarded offensive playmaker.
The Seahawks announced on Tuesday, November 1, that they were releasing wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside from the practice squad. The move corresponded with the signing of receiver Laquon Treadwell to the practice squad, Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper reported.
“The Seahawks announced a couple of changes to their practice squad on Tuesday and both players involved flamed out with their original teams after being drafted in the early rounds,” Alper said. “The Seahawks have signed wide receiver Laquon Treadwell. They released wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside in a corresponding move.”
Seahawks Traded for Arcega-Whiteside Back in August
The 25-year-old Arcega-Whiteside began his career with the Philadelphia Eagles as a second-round draft pick back in 2019. However, he never panned out during his three seasons in Philadelphia. The 6-foot-2 receiver caught 16 passes for 290 yards and one touchdown in 40 games and seven starts in three years with the Eagles. In fact, he caught just six passes over the last two seasons despite appearing in 24 games.
The Eagles attempted to move Arcega-Whiteside to tight end to training camp, but they eventually traded him to the Seahawks in exchange for cornerback Ugo Amadi in the middle of the preseason. The Stanford alum was cut at the end of August before being signed to the practice squad the next day.
Arcega-Whiteside ended his career at Stanford as one of the best receivers in program history. As a senior during the 2018 season, Arcega-Whiteside tied a 41-year-old school record by catching 14 touchdown passes. He was also named to the All-Pac 12 Second Team and was a Fred Biletnikoff Award semifinalist.
In fact, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport predicted just prior to the 2019 NFL draft that Arcega-Whiteside could emerge as not only the draft’s “biggest hidden gem,” but the best wideout from the class.
“Stanford’s J.J. Arcega-Whiteside won’t be the first wideout selected on Day 2,” said Davenport in April of 2019. “But with a tantalizing combination of size, strength, speed and the best high-pointing skills of any receiver in this draft, Arcega-Whiteside could wind up being the best wide receiver selected outside the first round in 2019. As a matter of fact, the 6’2″, 225-pounder may wind up the best wideout from this class, period.”
However, Arcega-Whiteside has clearly failed to live up to any of that potential during his first four years in the league.
Treadwell Also Considered an Early Draft Pick Bust
As noted by Alper, Treadwell was also an early draft pick disappointment with the Minnesota Vikings. The 27-year-old is a former first-round draft pick of the Vikings back in 2016 and flamed out after four disappointing seasons. Treadwell caught just 65 passes for 701 yards and two touchdowns during his stint in Minnesota. He was actually released at the conclusion of the preseason in 2019 before re-signing with Vikings a month later.
Treadwell then spent the 2020 season with the Atlanta Falcons before appearing in 12 games with seven starts as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2021 season. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound receiver caught 33 passes for 434 yards and one touchdown last season.
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Seahawks Cut Former Highly Touted Playmaker After Trade