The Seahawks went into the offseason with a backfield problem they couldn’t ignore, and the early returns haven’t exactly calmed anyone down.
Seattle lost key contributors, including Super Bowl MVP and running back Kenneth Walker III, then had to deal with Zach Charbonnet missing a portion of the 2026 season while he recovers from an ACL tear. That pushed running back to the top of the team’s priority list, and the Seahawks responded by spending the 32nd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Jadarian Price.
But Price wasn’t the only swing they took. Seattle also leaned on third-string back George Holani and former Green Bay Packers backup Emanuel Wilson, hoping the group could hold together while the roster sorted itself out.
All three have gotten work in the Seahawks’ system, though the early signs suggest the bet may be coming up short. For now, the most pressure sits on Wilson and Holani, while Price remains too early in the process to judge until the regular season begins.
Wilson is the Seahawks’ biggest free-agent addition at running back this offseason. The 5-10, 226-pound back ran for 496 yards and three touchdowns on 125 carries, and his workload rose after Josh Jacobs got hurt. Even so, there were questions about whether he could fit Seattle’s offense, with concerns that he lacked the explosiveness and speed to stay on the field for anything beyond power situations.
Injuries have only complicated things. After Price missed time with leg soreness, Holani and Wilson picked up some of the first-team reps. Not long after that, Wilson began dealing with a hamstring injury and sat out Seattle’s first preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
That has left Holani and Price sharing the first-team work while Wilson has struggled to get the reps and attention he needs. There’s also no sign from the coaches that Wilson will be available for the Seahawks’ second preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.
Holani, meanwhile, has earned plenty of praise inside the building for his work ethic and the way he developed after entering the league as an undrafted player. He has flashed enough to impress the staff, especially because the bar was lower for him as a backup behind Walker and Charbonnet. In a sense, Seattle is banking on Holani to help prove the team can build around a hard-working group of backs rather than rely on traditional replacements.
He’s looked steady in practice throughout training camp and preseason, and he got one of his biggest opportunities yet when he was the clear No. 1 back against the Cowboys last week. The offensive line didn’t help much, but Holani’s stat line still reflected a rough night: 42 yards on 12 carries.
Now he’s set to be one of the top backs again against the Titans, and that game could go a long way toward easing some of the concern around Seattle’s backfield.
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