The Seattle Seahawks will almost certainly need running back Jadarian Price to be good fast. Kenneth Walker left in free agency, and Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in the playoffs last season. But ESPN isn't completely sold on Price having an immense impact as a rookie.
The four-letter network believes Price could see a fairly heavy workload, and will maybe catch the ball more than he did at Notre Dame, but as far as Price being good enough to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, Ben Solak of ESPN lists the running back as a "long shot."
What is odd is that later in the same article, predicting which players have the best chances to win the OROY and the Defensive Rookie of the Year awards, Price is listed at number four among the candidates with the best chances.
ESPN considers Seattle Seahawks' Jadarian Price a "long shot" to be Offensive Rookie of the Year
Solak writes, in part, "Price has a strong path to serious candidacy...Price (has the) opportunity to immediately wrest control (as RB1 for Seattle) as a 15- to 20-plus touch player in the first month. Price was not much of a receiver at Notre Dame, but in Love's shadow, his three-down potential was fairly untapped. On a Seahawks team that figures to lead many games, he could accumulate second-half touches and put together a highly productive campaign."
That last part might need to be a must for the Seahawks. The issue is that Charbonnet could miss several games at the start of the season, and the backups behind him are mostly unproven. George Holani has flashed some potential, but he also gets easily injured. Free agent signee Emanuel Wilson was solid for the Green Bay Packers, but was never expected to be a long-term starter.
Of course, Price hasn't yet done anything for the Seattle Seahawks. No one knows for sure he can be a quality, long-term RB1, and new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury is likely to run the ball as much as former OC Klint Kubiak did. That isn't exactly half the time the offense has the ball, but it's closer to half than most teams.
Fleury comes from a San Francisco 49ers offense that knows well how to get the best out of its backs, but versatility is key. Price also has to show he can be a weapon as a receiver, while proving he can be excellent in pass protection.
Jadarian Price will also have to go through an odd transition for a rookie running back. At Notre Dame, he was the backup to Jeremiyah Love, while most first-round draft picks, especially those who are running backs, were starters in college. Price could go from college backup to full-time starter for the Seattle Seahawks.
He has the athleticism and power to do that, though, and do it well. If he does, he could make a real run at Offensive Rookie of the Year.
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