Any hopes of a breakout season for Dee Eskridge are now on hold after the Seahawks receiver was suspended for the first six games of the regular season.

The ban is for a violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy. Eskridge can still play in preseason games but will not be permitted to feature in a regular-season contest until Week 7.

His return will come in a home game against the Browns. Eskridge will miss home games with the Rams, Panthers and Cardinals as well as road contests against the Lions, Giants and Bengals. The Seahawks have a bye in Week 5.

A statement from the Seahawks read: "We are aware of the situation involving Dee Eskridge and have followed league and law enforcement protocol."

It has not been confirmed what Eskridge did to breach the conduct policy, but the ban is yet another setback for a player whose NFL career has been defined by them to this point.

Statement from a @Seahawks Spokesperson: pic.twitter.com/hcfsZQOKK6

— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) August 4, 2023

Eskridge was drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft but injuries have limited him to 20 games over the course of his first two seasons. He has caught just 17 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. 

Though he is behind DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba on the depth chart, there was hope this could be the year for Eskridge to finally make an impact given the lack of experienced alternatives for the backup receiver positions.

Receiver-fullback hybrid Dareke Young may now see a bump in snaps because of Eskridge's absence while undrafted rookies Matt Landers and Jake Bobo can harbor more realistic dreams of making the roster with Eskirdge out of the picture for most of the first half of the season.

Eskridge was already facing an uphill battle to make up for lost time. That climb just got even steeper.

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