The message Seahawks general manager John Schneider and coach Mike Macdonald have consistently sent to fans worried about the running back position in the wake of the loss of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III is that the work is far from done.
“I think it’s an example of like, ‘We don’t play until Wednesday (Sept. 9) to start the season off,’” Macdonald said this week at the NFL annual meetings in Phoenix when asked to assess the running-back position. “And even then, it’s a long season.”
Schneider made a similar point when appearing on Seattle Sports 710 earlier this month stating that running back “is a position that you can find guys.’’
To illustrate his point, Schneider referenced when he was working with the Packers in 2007 and Green Bay acquired Ryan Grant from the New York Giants on Sept. 1 for a future sixth-round pick.
Grant went on to gain 956 yards that season and more than 1,200 each of the following two years.
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If he’d wanted, Schneider could have cited an even more recent and close-to-home example — the acquisition of Marshawn Lynch in Oct. 2010, four games into the first season for Schneider and Pete Carroll.
In what will forever go down as one of the best trades in franchise history and a moment that defined the Legion of Boom era that was to come, the Seahawks got Lynch from Buffalo for fourth- and fifth-round draft picks. Lynch, who was made available after the Bills began the season 0-4 and embarked on a rebuilding plan under first-year coach Chan Gailey (in case you’re wondering, it didn’t work), became Seattle’s starting running back for the rest of that season and through 2015.
So expect the Seahawks to be their usual “in on everything” selves when it comes to veteran running backs who may become available over the offseason and into training camp.
There’s also the draft, where players who can make an immediate impact can be found.
The Seahawks’ Super Bowl opponent in February, the New England Patriots, proved that, taking TreVeyon Henderson 38th overall last April out of Ohio State and watching him rush for a team-high 911 yards and 5.1 per carry in the regular season as the Patriots finished sixth in the NFL in rushing en route to a 14-3 record.
There already has been plenty of speculation the Seahawks could look to Montlake and try to draft Jonah Coleman. The hiring of former UW offensive coordinator Jimmie Dougherty as an offensive assistant will only give the Seahawks that much more intel on Coleman and how he could fit into their system.
What seems one of the surest bets anyone can make is that one way or the other, the Seahawks will acquire a running back or two over the next few months.
After making it clear an addition is almost surely coming, Macdonald and Schneider said this week they also like the foundation that they have in place.
“I’ll tell you this — I think people are kind of sleeping on the guys we have a little bit,” Macdonald said Monday.
That group includes George Holani, who finished the 2025 season as the backup to Walker, filling that role in place of Zach Charbonnet, who suffered an ACL injury in the divisional playoff win over the 49ers.
The Seahawks expect Charbonnet to return at some point during the 2025 season — maybe even by late October or early November — a calculation that undoubtedly is playing into their decisions.
With Charbonnet sidelined, Holani would seem to be at the top the offseason depth chart for now.
The third-year player out of Boise State has just 83 yards on 22 carries in two seasons with the Seahawks but has proved a good pass blocker and receiver in limited time, and has been a heady special teams player (his fumble recovery in the end zone at Pittsburgh in Week 2 was an underrated key play last season).
They expect 2024 seventh-round pick Kenny McIntosh to be back this season — hopefully by training camp — after suffering an ACL injury early in camp in 2025.
The Seahawks brought back veterans Cam Akers and Velus Jones Jr. who were each signed to the practice squad late in the year and saw action in games. The 26-year-old Akers has 2,044 yards on 507 yards in his NFL career, including starting the Super Bowl for the Rams following the 2021 season.
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The Seahawks signed free agent Emanuel Wilson, a 5-foot-10, 226-pounder who gained 1,083 yards on 242 attempts in three years with the Packers — an average of 4.5 per carry, just off Walker’s 4.6 of last season and better than Walker’s 4.3 career average.
Walker was unquestionably spectacular in the playoffs, averaging 4.8 yards per attempt and scoring four touchdowns, capping a year in which he stayed healthy and played all 17 regular season games and all three in the playoffs.
The Seahawks have made clear what their priorities are this offseason — re-signing receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon and keeping most of their core together — something they didn’t think could get done as easily with giving Walker a $14 million-plus per year contract as did Kansas City. The thought of Walker playing one season on a franchise tag and hitting free agency again in a year while taking a massive cap hit this year didn’t seem palatable.
“I mean, George Holani played great for us down the stretch,” Macdonald said this week, noting that Charbonnet scored 12 touchdowns in 2025. “I mean Zach’s a great player. He’s not going to miss the whole year. And then Kenny Mac (McIntosh) (will) be able to come back and then the guys we added.
“So, I’m excited about how that room goes from here, and then, obviously, just like the rest of the team, any opportunity to take our team to the next level, we’re going to look at it. So that’s how John (Schneider) rolls.”
Here was Schneider’s assessment of the running backs: “It’s the uniqueness of the group. Like any position, would you like to add to it? Yeah. But the uniqueness of the group, George Holani, he’s just, (an) all-around (player). Kenny, (the) special teams aspect of his game, the kick returns, catching the ball back out the backfield, Emanuel Wilson’s a heavy runner, zone runner. They all have a cool, unique skill set, and then Zach’s like the ultimate pro. So as soon as he can come back, he’s coming back.”
Charbonnet is likely returning to a running back group that may look different from the one he’s a part of now.
Bob Condotta: bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Bob Condotta is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times who primarily covers the Seahawks but also dabbles in other sports. He has worked at The Times since 2002, reporting on University of Washington Husky football and basketball for his first 10 years at the paper before switching to the Seahawks in 2013.