The Seattle Seahawks are headed into the 2026 season with a backfield that looks nothing like the one they had before. Kenneth Walker III is gone to the Kansas City Chiefs, Zach Charbonnet is expected to miss time to open the year, and that leaves the team sorting through a very different rotation.
At the center of it is first-round rookie Jadarian Price, the 32nd overall pick in this year’s draft. He’s the name most people will circle first, and he’s the back Seattle has invested the most in.
Price has also turned heads in training camp. But the Seahawks do not appear ready to hand him the job all by himself.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Mike Macdonald made it clear that Seattle’s approach is going to be built around volume by committee, not one feature back carrying the load every week. “The running back rotation will feature 'two, possibly three guys in a game plan,' Macdonald told me, starting with the preseason,” Fowler writes.
That setup puts Price in line to work alongside George Holani and free-agent addition Emanuel Wilson, at least in the preseason and likely beyond. Those three are the most likely backs to get touches while Seattle figures out how the room will function without Walker and with Charbonnet unavailable early.
How the Seahawks deploy that group this month could say plenty about the regular season plan. If Price, Holani, and Wilson are all cycling through drives, and Brian Fleury leans on whoever has the hot hand, the rotation could stay fluid from week to week.
Price still looks like the lead candidate to head the group. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be the kind of clear workhorse Walker was when Charbonnet was out during the Super Bowl run. Wilson and Holani are expected to chip away at his workload right away, and when Charbonnet returns, the touches could get spread even thinner.
None of this is especially shocking. Seattle has already shown it’s comfortable living with a running back-by-committee approach, and unless injuries force a change, that seems to be the direction again.
In Other News...
Seahawks Backfield Concerns Just Got Bigger Before The Cowboys Game
The Seahawks backfield picture got a little murkier heading into their preseason meeting with the Cowboys, even before the team has had a chance to settle into game week. Seattles top draft pick, Jadarian Price, was back on the field for a walkthrough after missing several days because of lower body soreness, which at least offered a small step in the right direction after the recent pause.
Emmanuel Wilsons day brought a new concern, though, after he suffered an upper leg injury during practice and was unable to take part in the walkthrough. With both players now navigating health issues at a position group that already needed stability, Seattles running back depth is suddenly a more pressing storyline as the Cowboys game approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Enter Cowboys Game With Several Roster Spots Suddenly Under Pressure
The Seahawks are heading into their preseason opener against the Cowboys with training camp winding down and a handful of roster battles still very much alive. For players on the fringe, this is the stage where a few strong practices can turn into real momentum, and the first exhibition game is the first chance to make that case in front of the staff. Montorie Foster, Irv Charles, Emmanuel Henderson and a few others are among the names trying to turn opportunity into something more concrete before the roster starts getting trimmed down.
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
Training camp is supposed to be where habits get sharpened, but it can also be where a coach reminds everyone exactly who sets the tone. During a Seahawks practice session featured on HBOs Hard Knocks, Mike Macdonald stepped in when edge rusher Derick Hall kept getting too close to the quarterback during drills, pulling him out of the rep and making it clear the practice belonged to the staff, not the players.
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 🡒]