Washington's tight end depth was decimated in just about 10 minutes of game time.

With 10:38 remaining in the first half of UW's 24-7 loss against No. 25 Michigan, seventh-year tight end Quentin Moore went down while making a block as part of UW's punt shield. He was eventually carted off the field and taken to a hospital for precautionary testing. UW coach Jedd Fisch announced Moore avoided any serious, career-threatening injuries Monday but will likely miss time recovering from "a concussion, or something to that effect."

Then, with just 55 seconds remaining, sophomore tight end Kade Eldridge -- in the game replacing Moore -- injured his foot while moving across UW's offensive formation to block for running back Jonah Coleman. Fisch announced Monday that Eldridge, from Lynden, will miss the rest of the season.

So when Fisch was asked Monday what his tight end group looks like after the Michigan game, his answer was brief.

"Decker (DeGraaf). Baron (Naone). Austin (Simmons)," Fisch said.

DeGraaf, Naone and Simmons are the only available tight ends Washington will have available when it hosts No. 23 Illinois at Husky Stadium on Saturday. It's a familiar situation for Fisch and his coaching staff, which had to stretch its tight end depth following Moore's season-ending knee injury in 2024, but one UW thought it had done enough to avoid entering 2025.

"It's super unfortunate for Q and Kade," DeGraaf, the sophomore tight end, said. "They're really good, hardworking guys. Praying for them. But I need to step up. The young guys need to step up. They've all been working really hard in the room, and the young guys are really good players so I think they're ready to play."

Washington's 2025 tight end depth took hits before it had even played a snap. Ryan Otton -- the Tumwater High standout and brother of former Husky and current NFL tight end Cade Otton -- medically retired after battling injuries throughout his four seasons on Montlake. Then, redshirt freshman Charlie Crowell, who missed the entire 2024 campaign with a season-ending knee injury he sustained after fall camp, was ruled out for all of 2025. Fisch said Monday that Crowell suffered a second injury during the offseason.

But the Huskies (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) seemed to be in a better situation than they were a year ago when Otton, Crowell and Moore missed almost the entire 2024 season, in large part because they added Eldridge from USC in the transfer portal. Washington started 2024 relying upon Moore as the primary blocking tight end, DeGraaf as the team's main pass-catching tight end and Eldridge playing a versatile role that included snaps at fullback.

Offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty said losing Moore and Eldridge is a significant blow to the team's blocking ability. Pro Football Focus considered Moore, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound tight end, the team's fourth-best pass blocker among players with at least 20 snaps played, crediting him with just one pressure allowed -- a hurry -- on 35 opportunities. He was also in for 77 run-blocking snaps, more than any other UW tight end.

"He's pretty unique in his ability to block with his size," Dougherty said Tuesday.

Eldridge, similarly, will be a difficult player for UW to replace. PFF graded him as one of the team's best run blockers, behind only sixth-year left tackle Carver Willis and freshman left guard John Mills among players who are not wide receivers. And Dougherty admitted UW didn't really have another tight end to replace Eldridge at fullback because it required his particular skill set.

"He was really kind of a hybrid tight end," Dougherty said. "He can do stuff on the line of scrimmage, in that off position or in the backfield."

Dougherty said Washington will continue to experiment to find the personnel groups that work best with the players they have available. If UW doesn't have any other tight ends that fit the fullback role Eldridge was playing, then it will pivot to something else because, Dougherty said, the goal is to put players in the best position to succeed, even if that means new formations or sets tailored to DeGraaf, Naone and Simmons' skill sets.

DeGraaf, in particular, will be important to Washington navigating this period. The sophomore from San Dimas, Calif., has enjoyed a strong stretch as a receiver after struggling to command targets at the start of the season. He had a season-high six-catch performance during UW's 24-20 comeback win against Maryland and added four catches for 26 yards against Michigan. His 177 yards receiving rank eighth among Big Ten tight ends this season.

But DeGraaf said he'll have to become a better all-around tight end in Eldridge and Moore's absence. His blocking, in particular, will be under closer scrutiny. The 6-4, 245-pound sophomore has already shown improvement from his true freshman season. DeGraaf has already played 152 snaps as a run blocker in 2025, according to PFF. He's earned a run-blocking grade higher than 70 three times, something he never achieved in 2024.

Of course, it hasn't been linear progress. DeGraaf received a 37.2 run-blocking grade from PFF against Washington State, then picked up a 38.2 grade against Michigan. Both career-low marks. DeGraaf is considered UW's No. 23-ranked run blocker by PFF. He's also committed four penalties, two holding calls and two false starts, tied with junior right tackle Drew Azzopardi for most on the team.

DeGraaf isn't UW's only option. Naone was a three-star prospect, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and the No. 2 player in Oregon when he signed with the Huskies in 2025 out of West Linn High. The 6-4, 250-pound tight end appeared twice this season, once against FCS opponent UC Davis and against Michigan after Eldridge's injury, after enrolling during the summer.

Simmons, a 6-5, 245-pound tight end, was also a composite three-star prospect and the No. 6 player in Oregon while playing at West Albany High. He flipped to UW after previously being committed to WSU, and enrolled at Washington in time for spring practices, though he has not appeared in a game.

"They're talented kids," Dougherty said. "We've seen that from the very beginning."

Dougherty said Simmons and Naone are solid pass catchers and route runners, in a similar mold to DeGraaf, who've demonstrated solid understanding of UW's pass game. The offensive coordinator said both freshmen also have good size for their age and are impressive athletically. DeGraaf also added praise for Naone and Simmons and said they're ready to contribute whenever needed.

"I think for how young they are, they've really developed," DeGraaf said. "They just show really good stuff in practice and they're really hard workers."

Dougherty and Fisch might also have to consider one final factor at tight end: sophomore center Zachary Henning. The 6-5, 310-pound offensive lineman occasionally filled in as a jumbo tight end in 2024 when Moore was injured, and he played three snaps as an in-line tight end against Michigan.

Washington will need its tight ends to block well against Illinois. The Fighting Illini (5-2, 2-2) boast one of the conference's top edge rushers in senior outside linebacker Gabe Jacas and are allowing 131 yards rushing and making 2.14 sacks per game.

"Unfortunate part of the game is injuries," Dougherty said. "You never want to see that happen, but you can't make an excuse. The season's going to go on. Guys have got to keep progressing and getting ready."

'The young guys need to step up': UW down to 3 tight ends vs. Illinois