The Seattle Seahawks' refreshing rushing attack this preseason gave the 12s plenty to be excited about. Unfortunately, most of the backs they watched take advantage of the excellent blocking ahead of them won’t be around for the regular season.
With Zach Charbonnet only getting five touches and Kenneth Walker III sitting out, the backs behind them, save for George Holani, were auditioning for other teams just as much as they were for the Seahawks.
Considering Walker’s injury history, the Seahawks could be positioned to hold onto four running backs. Still, with keeping two fullbacks, even with position fluidity for Brady Russell at tight end, that naturally squeezes how much Seattle can keep at other positions. So, if a back like Damien Martinez is pushed out, he’ll have to hope to land on his feet with another franchise.
Seattle’s running back math could push Martinez out
Martinez, a seventh-round pick out of Miami, had a solid if underwhelming preseason. He finished with 84 yards rushing on 24 carries. Certainly, it would be understandable if the Seahawks try to stash him on the practice squad, but other teams roaming the waiver wire in the coming days could snatch him up if Seattle doesn’t make space for him on the final 53.
As Seahawks reporter Corbin K. Smith pointed out on X, the Houston Texans are a likely team to pursue a talent like Martinez to shore up the depth in their running back room. The Texans’ primary starter, Joe Mixon, is set to miss at least the first four weeks of the regular season with a foot injury, leaving Houston with just Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, and Dare Ogunbawale as its primary options.
Fourth-rounder Woody Marks has been impressive and should steal a roster spot, too, but without much trust in the injury and/or production history of each player, Houston makes a ton of sense as a possible landing spot for Martinez if things don’t pan out in Seattle as the cuts come down.
Martinez showed promise early in training camp, particularly in pass protection. But ultimately, his production was rather lackluster, especially compared to Holani. But that’s why it’s always difficult to know what to do with players in Martinez’s position.
He’s likely a practice-squad-level player at this point, but any team like Houston with an immediate need for depth could swoop in and pick him up if that’s where he lands.
Nonetheless, Seattle has a tough decision to make regarding their late draft investment on Martinez: make room, or potentially watch him move on to somewhere else.