There is starting to be some more clarity as to what the Seattle Seahawks’ running back room could look like when the team reports to camp to prepare for the 2026 season.
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Seahawks general manager John Schneider on Thursday confirmed reports the team is signing former Green Bay Packers running back Emanuel Wilson to a one-year deal during a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob.
The Seahawks are getting a physical back in the 5-foot-10, 226-pound Wilson, who Schneider called a “heavy runner.”
Wilson, who was a backup to three-time Pro Bowler Josh Jacobs in Green Bay, was tied for 18th in the league among running backs while averaging 3.08 yards after contact (minimum 125 carries) last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
One play from last year that showcased Wilson’s bruising ability as a runner came in his first career start in Week 12 against the Vikings. With the Packers facing first-and-goal at the 1-yard line, Wilson took a handoff where he was met in the hole by a free blitzer and proceeded to bowl him over on his way into the end zone.
Early touchdown for Emanuel Wilson and the Packers!
MINvsGB on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/TeQCGxwkyM
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025
“There’s a free hitter in the hole, and for him to run with that low pad level, that’s something that we’re stressing to him all the time because he is a big, powerful back,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur told reporters after the game. “He’s kind of unassuming at times, but he is powerful. And when you run with the right pad level, it just shows you what he’s capable of doing.”
Wilson is joining a Seahawks backfield that lost the services of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency to the Kansas City Chiefs. With Zach Charbonnet expected to miss time early next year as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered Jan. 17, Wilson’s primary competition for reps at the start of the season figures to be Kenny McIntosh and George Holani as the roster currently stands.
What Seattle Seahawks GM said about new RB Emanuel Wilson
Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard likes what Wilson brings to the table as a physical runner, but he thinks the Seahawks’ running back group is still lacking the explosive ability that made Walker a special runner. That’s something Huard could still see Seattle addressing, though.
“He’s not gonna blow you away with explosive runs,” Huard said of Wilson on Friday during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “… As I look at Kenny, I look at George, I look at this addition, OK, they got some 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.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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• Seattle Seahawks announce finalized 2026 coaching staff
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