Seattle Seahawks’ GM John Schneider has an impressive track record of finding late-round running backs. Chris Carson was the biggest steal in the seventh round of the 2017 draft, but another seventh-rounder, Kenny McIntosh, had some moments, as did 2016 fifth-round pick Alex Collins (albeit for a team other than Seattle).
When Schneider chose Damien Martinez out of Miami with the first of his three seventh-round picks this year, hopes were high that he had uncovered another productive back. At the time, it appeared that Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet were the only two sure things in the Seahawks' backfield. McIntosh and a few other UDFAs appeared to be Martinez’s main competition for a roster spot.
When McIntosh tore his ACL in July, Martinez seemed to have the inside track. But that would change over the next month, and now the Seahawks have released the first of their eleven picks from the 2025 draft.
What went wrong for Damien Martinez and the Seattle Seahawks?
Martinez didn’t wow anyone this preseason, but he didn’t perform badly either. He couldn’t get anything going in the first preseason game against the Raiders, but looked much better in weeks two and three.
The problem was that he was being clearly outplayed by George Holani, the UDFA from 2024 who barely missed a roster spot last year. It soon became apparent that Holani, a complete back who is also an excellent special teams player, was the likely heir apparent to McIntosh.
What really seemed to hurt Martinez, though, was the fact that another UDFA, Jacardia Wright, was showing greater potential as well. Wright was not known for his burst or big-play ability coming out of college, but he looked faster and more explosive than Martinez.
Martinez is a powerful runner who can break tackles and get tough yards, but he does not possess great speed or lateral quickness. Many of the concepts in Klint Kubiak’s offense require a back to make decisive cuts in holes. Holani and Wright seemed better able to provide that than Martinez.
His release by no means spells the end for Martinez. His performance was certainly intriguing enough to get him more chances, either with a team in need of a powerful downhill runner or back with the Seahawks on the practice squad. It’s certainly a disappointment, but it may only be a momentary setback for the young runner.
As of this writing, Seattle still has four backs on its roster, though many analysts expect another cut to eventually be announced.