Reading the Running Back Room: How will the position shake out for the Seahawks?
RENTON, Wash. — It’s one of the more interesting position battles for the Seahawks this training camp.
Gone is Super Bowl XL MVP Kenneth Walker III.
Injured for an undisclosed amount of time is Zach Charbonnet.
Entering the picture are rookie Jadarian Price and new signee Emanuel Wilson.
Manning the fort is George Holani.
Indeed, it’s a position of need, but also one that has plenty of contributors waiting for their opportunity. All of them have a unique story and possibilities heading into the new season.
George Holani
We start with Holani because, outside of Charbonnet, who is returning from ACL surgery, is the returning candidate for prime carries in the backfield.
Holani played in the postseason games after Charbonnet went down and took key snaps in Super Bowl XL.
He’s certainly someone the coaching staff trusts when you think of it that way and will always be a threat out of the backfield.
The 26-year-old out of Boise State enters his third season with Seattle. He played in 11 games last year with 2 catches for 15 yards, 22 carries for 73 yards while taking care of his primary duties in the kick return game, returning 16 kickoffs.
He has a nice slash ability and obviously has worked his way into a role on this roster, which speaks volumes with the coaching staff.
Holani earned the #1 reps to start training camp for a reason, but being the so-called ‘bell-cow’ or lead back on September 9th remains to be seen.
Emanuel Wilson
KOMO 4 Questions with Emanuel Wilson
If you’re a die-hard football fan, you know this.
Every time Emanuel Wilson got an opportunity with the Green Bay Packers, he made the most of it.
It’s why the Seahawks signed him this offseason.
With Josh Jacobs sidelined due to injury last November, Wilson stepped in for a 28-carry, 107-yard performance capped by two touchdowns.
He also tallied 14 carries for 82 yards later in the season against the Bears.
He’s shown that he’s much more than potential. Now he’s in the running for a starring role, at least for a while, in Seattle.
I think fans will enjoy that Wilson is 5-foot-10, 225 pounds but runs as fast as someone 40 pounds lighter. He can bruise you at the line of scrimmage but also run past you on the perimeter.
He certainly was a standout performer at Saturday’s Fan Fest at Lumen Field.
“I’m bringing something different. A lot of people think I don’t have speed, but I have a lot of speed on my end. Also bringing a lot of power,” Wilson said after practice Saturday.
Mike Macdonald agrees.
“I’m going to sound really cliché right now, but he just keeps stacking days from where he started to where he is now, but it seems like he keeps making plays, he keeps being productive in his style of ball, which is really cool. What he brings to the table is exciting. There is a physicality, a heaviness to his game, which is fun to have on offense,” Macdonald said.
Wilson, like Holani, forged his way into opportunities.
From Division II Fort Valley State to strong showings in auditions with the Packers to now potentially leading the backfield for the defending champion Seahawks in September.
You don’t get there without talent and determination.
Wilson has both.
Jadarian Price
Certainly, when a team uses first-round draft capital on a player, they believe that person can contribute right away.
Enter Jadarian Price, who is already turning heads at Seahawks training camp.
Price has a unique blend of speed, power and humility that carried him all the way to the first round of April’s draft and, apparently, now into the mix for a starring role in the Seahawks backfield.
“I’m glad to be back out here and play football with a special group of guys, special coaching staff and a special organization. I’m proud and blessed to be out here,” Price said as the Seahawks opened camp.
Remember, Price played behind Jeremiyah Love at Notre Dame, who went third overall to the Seahawks’ NFC West rival, Arizona. Think about that and consider that Price showed enough that, even in a limited role in college, he was an NFL team’s first-round pick.
That’s how good he is.
He shows maturity well beyond his 22 years. In fact, he used his first NFL check to buy his family a home back in his home state of Texas. He credits Holani and Charbonnet for showing him the way.
Price will be a star in the NFL. The question is more of a “when” than an “if.”
And now? Even after losing the Super Bowl MVP — and his co-star (for now, to injury) — the Seahawks have a strong running back room that should allow them to hit the ground running (pun intended).