With Kenneth Walker III set to leave and Zach Charbonnet nursing a major injury, the Seattle Seahawks had to get creative to fill their running back room. They had to get a veteran, even though they knew they would probably draft someone.
The running back market was somewhat underwhelming this season, with not many starting-caliber guys available. That's why John Schneider set his sights on Emanuel Wilson instead. The Seahawks gave him a one-year, $1.6 million deal, which sounded about right for a career backup.
Fast forward to today, and after a couple of strong performances, the former Green Bay Packers RB2 is looking like one of the best value deals in football. He's been, by a significant margin, the team's most effective ball-carrier.
The Seattle Seahawks struck gold with Emanuel Wilson
Despite not starting three of four games, Wilson currently leads the team in rushing yards (190), attempts (53), and ranks 23rd in the league in total production. He's got 149 yards after contact, showing a physicality and toughness he didn't always show at Lambeau Field.
The Seahawks' running game has been somewhat underwhelming to start the season. Jadarian Price has struggled with ball security and is now out with an injury, and George Holani hasn't given the team much in a pass-catching, third-down role.
Wilson is coming off getting 21 carries for 81 yards and one touchdown in the win over the Los Angeles Chargers, adding three receptions for 39 yards and another score. Given the state of the banged-up running back room, that should be more than enough to be the starter for the next couple of games, at the very least.
Finding a starting-caliber player for a Super Bowl-winning team returning most of its production is a tall ask, more so at such a reasonable price. According to Spotrac, Wilson ranks 50th in running back salary for this season, making significantly less than guys who haven't come even close to his production through the first month of the regular season.
Of course, this has been a bit of a fortunate accident. It's not like the Seahawks knew that Wilson would play this way and they'd get starting-caliber production from a guy making under two million per year. But sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good, and the Seahawks are as fortunate as they are stacked.
Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury has made a solid impression in his first four games with the team, and one can only wonder how far he can take this team once the running game finally gets going. They'll also need Price and Charbonnet for that.
But even when they're back to full strength, Wilson is playing well enough to get a chance. He's playing his way into a much more lucrative deal, even if that leads him away from the reigning Super Bowl champion.
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