The Seattle Seahawks will no longer have Kenneth Walker III as their lead back. After four seasons of those duties, Walker left in free agency to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs. Seattle won't have its backup of the last three seasons, Zach Charbonnet, either. Charbonnet is injured.
That means the team is quite likely to start 2026 first-round selection Jadarian Price, as long as he can prove he can pass protect well and catch the ball out of the backfield. Even if he can, Seattle will almost certainly want a rotation at the position, and that could mean George Holani finally has a chance to be a star.
The question with Holani in his first two seasons wasn't truly about his ability. When he played, he flashed power and bursts of speed. The problem was he couldn't seem to do that very often, as the running back battled one injury after another. If he can stay available for games, he should be a valuable backup RB.
George Holani might find himself as the Seattle Seahawks' RB2 in Week 1
Perhaps as high as RB2. He was getting those kinds of reps in organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp, just behind Price. At times, he was even splitting reps with Price as RB1. That indicates the Seahawks don't just see him as a potential backup, but potentially as RB2, getting a bunch of reps early in the season, at least until Charbonnet can return from the torn ACL he suffered in the playoffs.
According to ESPN Seahawks beat reporter Brady Henderson, Holani has been the biggest surprise of Seattle's offseason workouts. (ESPN wrongly has Holani listed as "RG," which means right guard, that if Holani played would certainly be a massive surprise and, likely, mistake.)
Henderson writes, "In the six full-squad practices that were open to reporters, it was Holani -- not first-round pick Jadarian Price or free agent pickup Emanuel Wilson-- who tended to get the first crack with the No. 1 offense. Holani is looking to build off his strong finish to 2025..."
At the end of last season, Holani didn't necessarily finish "strong," though. He did get seven carries in Week 10, which he turned into 31 yards and a touchdown. He then didn't play in Weeks 13 through 18. He did appear in two playoff games, including the Super Bowl, and he ran for 10 yards on five carries and caught four passes for 34 yards.
In two seasons and 25 rushes, he has averaged 3.3 yards per carry. None of that implies he will be a high-performing player in 2026, of course, but Seattle Seahawks fans have seen George Holani flash potential. That he is getting some RB1 reps in practices proves the team believes in him. As long as he can stay healthy, the Boise State product can be a surprising RB2 in Week 1.
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