Thomas Rawls is the next star RB in Seattle, isn’t he?
By Keith Myers
Despite a stellar rookie season, Thomas Rawls will have to fight for his job according to general manager John Schneider.
Marshawn Lynch has retired, and he’s passed the torch off to Thomas Rawls, right? “Not so fast” says general manager John Schneider.
This was a bit surprising, given how good Rawls was last season. In a season limited by a broken ankle and sharing time with Lynch, Rawls still led the entire NFL in yards per carry and led the Seahawks in rushing.
Rawls succeed behind the same offensive line that Lynch struggled to gain yards with. It was no coincidence that the offense began to take off once Rawls was inserted into the starting lineup.
That is what made Schneider’s comment so surprising. Lynch was a superstar RB, and Rawls was clearly better last season. Rawls taking over as the starter should be a given.
Not only would John Schneider not commit to Rawls, but he said that Rawls would have to fight for his job. Schneider said that they liked what they saw from Rawls as a rookie, but that didn’t mean Rawls was going to be handed the job.
Schneider not committing to Thomas Rawls as lead RB w/ Marshawn Lynch retiring is GM staying consistent w/ #Seahawks' "always compete" credo
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) February 24, 2016
Schneider talked about bringing in at least 1 or 2 backs that could challenge Rawls for that job. Christine Michael will probably be one, but the team hasn’t ruled out using a draft pick on the position either.
Pete Carroll tempered the tone a bit, but he also made it clear that his “always compete” philosophy applies. Rawls will have to to hold off any other backs that are in training camp.
Pete Carroll on Thomas Rawls replacing Lynch as #Seahawks' lead RB "He's coming in as the guy that we're looking to him to give the ball to"
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) February 25, 2016
The message was clear: Rawls is great, but he better come in to camp healthy, hungry and prepared. If he doesn’t, then the team won’t hesitate to move on.
None of this should be much of a concern though. If you know anything about Rawls’ story, than you know he won’t take his spot on the team for granted.
Next: Is Bruce Irvin's time in Seattle over?
It is nice to see the team taking the depth behind Rawls seriously though. Last season made it perfectly clear that a one-back system doesn’t work in today’s NFL. The Seahawks had 2 great backs, and still had to go fishing for a free agent starter for the season’s final month.
For now though, Seahawks fans can rest easy knowing that Rawls is expected to be recovered and healthy for the start of training camp.