Jadarian Price has been struggling, and not just with a recent chest injury. He was limited in practice ahead of Week 4 and will miss the game, but that might be the least of his concerns. The Seattle Seahawks rookie running back has to be thinking about his fumbling problem too.
In his last 15 games, dating back to his last 12 at the University of Notre Dame, Price has fumbled five times. He has coughed up the football twice in the three games in the NFL. No matter how good a player is, giving the ball to the other team is going to get that player benched.
But those who already want to see Price benched for a long period of time are just wrong. For one, basing such an observation on his professional career is silly. He's played three games. Three. That isn't even 25 percent of a regular season, let alone how long Price will play over the course of his career.
It is too soon to give up on Seattle Seahawks running back Jadarian Price
Give the kid a chance. Does he need to hold onto the ball better? Definitely. He can't keep turning the ball over, or he needs to lose a lot of reps to players like George Holani and Emanuel Wilson. If the fumbling trend continues after Zach Charbonnet returns from injury, Price should see even fewer reps.
But he is too talented -- too fast and explosive -- to keep on the bench. Assuming his hands and arms are strong enough to hold onto the ball, and one can assume they are, he needs to be playing. Part of his problem is that Seahawks fans have gotten used to running backs who don't fumble. Charbonnet and former starter Kenneth Walker never did in Seattle.
Price has a problem that must be fixed, as he has fumbled, based on percentage, in 33 percent of his last 15 games. That is unacceptable. He cannot continue to do that, but just because he has done so does not mean he will continue to do so. He also shouldn't be given up on. Doing so is the worst of knee-jerk reactions. Again, he has played three games in the NFL.
Through that same number of games, Price leads the Seattle Seahawks in yards per carry (4.3), rushing yards (119, and in fewer carries than Wilson, who is second-best at 109), and he is second on the team in total yards from scrimmage (140). He's been a solid player with a fumbling concern.
He is just at the beginning of his career, and that will likely be a good one in a Seattle Seahawks uniform. He is a first-round draft pick and is going to get more chances than if he were a seventh-round pick. He deserves that. He is immensely skilled physically. Giving up Jadarian Price now is inexcusable.
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