Emanuel Wilson
Getty
Seattle Seahawks analyst Hugh Millen suggested new team running back Emanuel Wilson might not make the 2026 roster.
The Seattle Seahawks found a potential Kenneth Walker replacement in free agent running back Emanuel Wilson. But Seahawks analyst Hugh Millen cast doubt over whether Wilson will adequately replace the Super Bowl MVP.
In fact, Millen isn’t sure Wilson will even make the Seahawks 2026 roster.
“I wouldnt be surprised if Emanuel Wilson does not make the team. He has the look of a 2nd or 3rd RB on the depth chart,” said Millen, via Seattle sports host Dick Fain.
Wilson served as a quality backup running back the past two years with the Green Bay Packers. With 502 rushing yards and a 4.9 yards per carry average, the 2024 campaign was Wilson’s best statistical season.
Last season, Wilson posted 496 rushing yards and three scores, averaging 4.0 yards per attempt.
Projecting Emanuel Wilson’s Role With Seahawks
Wilson was the first external running back the Seahawks added this week after Kenneth Walker departed in free agency for the Kansas City Chiefs. For that reason, pundits see Wilson as the most likely front-runner to replace Walker.
However, the Seahawks already have seven running backs on their roster and continue to be linked to other big-names on the trade market. Wilson also landed just a 1-year deal that’s worth $2 million if he reaches all incentives.
Wilson could have the first crack at the RB1 job in Seattle. But that doesn’t mean he will earn it.
Millen essentially predicted he wouldn’t.
Fain added in his post on X that Millen argued his evaluation of Wilson reminded him of former Seahawks wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Last March, Seattle signed Valdes-Scantling to a 1-year, $5.5 million contract. The Seahawks cut the veteran wideout at the end of the preseason.
Dick Fain
“I wouldnt be surprised if Emanuel Wilson does not make the team. He has the look of a 2nd or 3rd RB on the depth chart.”
Says it reminds him of his evaluation of MVS when the Hawks signed him last offseason.
-Hugh Millen on with us now
The Seahawks have a hole to fill at running back with Walker’s departure. The 25-year-old running back led Seattle to a Super Bowl rout versus the New England Patriots with 135 rushing yards and two catches for 26 yards.
Walker finished the 2026 postseason run with 313 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, with four touchdowns.
The Kansas City Chiefs signed Walker to a 3-year, $43.05 million contract in free agency.
Injury Update on RB Zach Charbonnet
How much of an opportunity Wilson receives could greatly depend on Zach Charbonnet’s health.
Charbonnet split the backfield with Walker during the 2025 regular season. Charbonnet, though, suffered a knee injury in the NFC divisional matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
On Friday, Seahawks general manager John Schneider gave a great update on Charbonnet. Schneider said on Seattle Sports radio Charbonnet’s surgery “went very well” and added team’s outlook on the running back is “very positive.”
However, Schneider didn’t offer a timetable and concluded that the team will continue to look for running back options.
During 2025, Charbonnet ran for 730 yards, averaging 4.0 yards per carry, with 12 touchdowns. He has gained at least 500 yards on the ground in two consecutive years.
Coming off knee surgery, Charbonnet isn’t a candidate for 200-plus carries. So the Seahawks need one of their other running backs to step up and play a significant role. At the beginning of the regular season, they may even need a starter.
But whether that’s Wilson remains to be seen. Seattle Sports’ Brock Huard argued this week the Seahawks may make a major splash at running back in the 2026 NFL Draft.
“[Wilson’s] not gonna blow you away with explosive runs,” Huard said Friday.
“As I look at Kenny, I look at George, I look at this addition, OK, they got some tractors. They got some guys that’ll create some yards after contact like a John Deere tractor, but they don’t have any kind of Mustang, Ferrari (or) Camaro. They don’t have anybody that can get outside and be explosive.
“I would think that’s coming in the draft.”