Seattle’s backfield got a small boost Wednesday, even if the picture is still far from clean.
Jadarian Price, the Seahawks’ top draft pick, was back out there during one of the team’s walkthrough practices three days before Saturday’s preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys. It was an ACT session - alignment, communication and technique - so the work was lighter than a standard practice, but it still marked progress for Price after he had been sidelined since last Friday with “lower body soreness.”
Price had already been doing some light work on the side practice field at VMAC on Tuesday, though he was not part of any live scrimmage action. For now, the key takeaway is simple: he’s trending back in the right direction. Whether that’s enough to get him into the Cowboys game is still unknown.
The concern, though, is that the running back room took another hit. Emanuel Wilson, who left Tuesday’s practice after limping out, wasn’t healthy enough to even take part in the ACT work on Wednesday. That leaves Seattle’s depth chart in a fragile spot, especially with the injuries piling up in the backfield.
Gregg Bell reported on Tuesday that Wilson had been running with the starters while Price was out over the last four practices, before the setback late in practice. Bell wrote: “Running back Emmanuel Wilson, who’s been running with the starters with Price out the last four practices, pulled up after a catch and run out of bounds late in practice grabbing his upper leg. He went to the ground and got assistant from a trainer.”
If Price is held out, Wilson can’t go, and Jacardia Wright is still limited, Seattle could be leaning heavily on George Holani, Velus Jones Jr, TJ Harden, and Justin Jones on Saturday. And if Holani ends up carrying the load the way the Seahawks seem to expect, then those last three may wind up handling most of the touches.
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Seattles depth chart is still being shaped, which is why these reps matter so much for the players trying to hang on. Special teams work, clean assignments and a few timely plays in preseason action can go a long way at this point, especially with so many spots still unsettled. The Seahawks have several candidates under pressure, and the coming games should start sorting out who is truly pushing for one of those final 53-man openings. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Macdonald Sent A Clear Message To Derick Hall At Camp
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The exchange quickly turned tense, and because it played out on a national stage, it landed far beyond the practice field. For Seattle, it was a small camp moment with a big message: Macdonald is going to be direct about standards, especially when it comes to protecting his quarterbacks and controlling the details that matter most in August. [Read more 🡒]