The Seattle Seahawks dug deep to bolster their running back room this week. Two new players joined the team as they face the 49ers in Week 5. One may contribute immediately, while the other, with local ties, may pay off in the long term.
To say Seattle's running back roster is a little banged up is an understatement. Zach Charbonnet won't play for at least another week. Meanwhile, rookie Jadarian Price is on injured reserve and cannot return until at least Week 8. Suddenly, Emanuel Wilson looks like a key addition to the squad. He certainly played like it last week.
With just three healthy running backs on the active roster and no healthy backs on the ready squad at all, Seattle had to make some changes. Joe Mixon failed his physical, so while he could have been a solid addition to the roster, that's not happening. So let's check out the guys who did make the team.
Seattle Seahawks add depth and potential at running back
Robert Henry Jr.
Henry hasn't taken a snap in a regular-season game, but he looks ready to step up. The Seahawks wasted no time stealing him from the Commanders' practice squad. Washington's RB roster is crowded, so the fact that Henry was on the practice squad isn't an indictment of his ability. Jeremy McNichols is their fourth back, and he totaled 417 yards for them last year.
Per Seattle Sports, NFL draft guru Daniel Jeremiah liked Henry coming out of the draft, saying, "This is one of those where I liked him…He was initially in my top 150... I gave him a grade that puts him, like, in the fifth round." Henry has the burst that the Seahawks are missing now. Could he see the field against the Niners? That's a lot to ask, but who expected Chris Carson to break out as he did?
As all good 12s know, Chris Carson was a seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma State. He averaged 6.8 yards per carry as a senior, and ran 4.58 in the 40-yard dash at the combine. Henry averaged 6.9 yards per carry as a senior, and ran a 4.52 40. Two key differences: the Roadrunners aren't at the same level as the Cowboys, and Carson is 20 pounds bigger. But Henry can play.
Dontae McMillan
Unlike Henry, McMillan has zero chance of taking the field Sunday, unless the rest of the group chows down on Taylor salads or jalapenos. Get your produce from Leonard Williams' garden, guys! But McMillan's story is still intriguing, as he has local ties and is reuniting with a former teammate. Surprisingly, this is his second time with the Seahawks.
Just not these Seahawks. McMillan grew up in Seattle, and both he and his twin brother played football at Chief Sealth High. I'm sure many 12s already know this: Chief Sealth's teams are called the Seahawks.
As McMillan told Bob Condotta in The Seattle Times, “I just feel like I was destined to be in this moment."
That old teammate of his? Rashid Shaheed, who was an established star at Weber State when McMillan entered as a freshman in 2021. Again, per Mr. Condotta, Shaheed said of McMillan, "...he learned very quickly. He was very, very good at Weber. … I’m super excited for him.” He looked good for the Ravens in limited preseason action, picking up 109 yards on 15 carries.
Still, it's likely that McMillan's time in Seattle won't survive the return of Charbonnet and Price over the next few weeks. But until then, he's on the Seahawks' ready squad. They do call it a ready squad for a reason, after all.
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