Edit — shortly after writing this piece, the Seahawks signed former Packers running back Emmanuel Wilson. He was a restricted free agent the Packers chose not to tender, so he doesn’t count against the comp pick formula. It’s the biggest piece of evidence so far to show the Seahawks are protecting their 2027 comp picks.
Some Seahawks fans are questioning the plan at running back.
For me, it makes perfect sense.
The free agents were underwhelming. You could make a case for one or two of them but not with any real conviction. There wasn’t going to be any crushing disappointment, or at least there shouldn’t be, when Tyler Allgeier or Kenneth Gainwell signed somewhere else.
Rachaad White? Rico Dowdle? Isiah Pacheco? Really? Meanwhile Travis Etienne, who would’ve cost $12m a year, said his heart was set on returning to Louisiana.
There’s only thing one thing worse than not addressing this need — it’s overspending on someone who isn’t going to be the answer anyway.
Not to mention, there also seems to be a pretty firm plan to protect compensatory picks for 2027. This makes a lot of sense. As I noted yesterday, I had to take 41 players off my board after they chose to return to college this year. Regardless of the quality at the top, that alone will make this a deeper class.
Signing an average running back for a reasonable salary costs you a pick next year. I’m not sure it’d be worth it.
I’m sure we’ll soon see an increasing number of people complaining that they should’ve used the franchise tag on Ken Walker or paid him +$15m a year to stay in Seattle. Again, I completely disagree. With every free agent you have to set a limit and stick to it.
With your own players, you know them better than anyone else. After four years in Seattle they decided he wasn’t worth $14m on the tag or $15m per year on an extension.
You can’t panic, look at the draft and free agency and make a commitment you otherwise wouldn’t make. You’ve got to be disciplined.
Walker is a talented player but he’s not a special player. He didn’t pass-protect, he wasn’t a third down player. He’s yet to show he can carry a running game for more than a short sample. Paying him Jonathan Taylor money to see if he can turn into that type of workhorse is a projection I can’t get behind. You also can’t just pay to keep him because the alternative is inconvenient.
Are the Seahawks going to be worse at running back in 2025 as a consequence? Possibly. But so be it. There are harder issues to solve.
My guess is they will add another veteran after the draft if needs be to fill-out the position. Or, they have their eye on someone in the draft.
It’s worth pointing out that Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price has Lance Zierlein’s 30th highest grade in the 2026 class. Daniel Jeremiah has him at #40 on his big board. Not everyone has him rated that highly but if the Seahawks share that view, they won’t see it as a big reach to take him at #32.
If they see Price as a very viable option with their top pick, he would cost $2.6m in year one. At his most expensive, in year four of his rookie deal, he’d cost $4.6m. Tyler Allgeier’s cap-hits in his two-year arrangement with the Cardinals are worth $4.3m and $7.9m. That’s without the upside someone like Price possesses.
A year ago they didn’t force anything on the offensive line, much to the chagrin of fans, in part because they knew they had options in the draft. They took Grey Zabel and the rest is history.
Whether it’s Price, Mike Washington Jr, Emmett Johnson, Nicholas Singleton or another — they might feel pretty confident they’ll be able to address this position, even within a thin looking class.
You might ask how can they be so confident? Well if they are interested in Price and their intel suggests he won’t go before #32, that’s one possibility.
There hasn’t been a move by another team so far at the running back position I’m envious of. It just feels like a bunch of ‘meh’ that wouldn’t have had anyone feeling that confident about the position. Walker was too expensive and possible trade targets, like De’Von Achane, haven’t been made available.
Would it be good to have a clear solution here that everyone can feel really confident about? Absolutely. By my reckoning though, the Seahawks haven’t missed out on anything exciting so far. Let’s see how they handle the situation over the next couple of months.
