The Seattle Seahawks will look mostly the same in their Super Bowl-defending campaign. There wlil be some major changes in the backfield, though, with Kenneth Walker III leaving, Zach Charbonnet out with an ACL injury, and Jadarian Price in the fold.
As things stand now, the first-round pick out of Notre Dame should handle the bulk of the work. That said, he's a rookie nonetheless, and head coach Mike Macdonald might want to take things slowly with him.
That leaves the door wide open for George Holani to be much more than a backup. He brings a similar skill set to Charbonnet to the table, and he might finally get a chance to prove what he's got as a true third-down/passing-down back. The signs are clearly there.
George Holani's strong playoffs is a good omen for the Seattle Seahawks
After turning 28 touches into 97 yards and 1 score in his first two years in the league, the Seahawks trusted Holani with a bigger role in the route to the Vince Lombardi trophy. He was on the field for 47 plays in the playoffs, giving the Seahawks 31 rushing yards in the NFC Championship Game and 13 in the Super Bowl.
While those numbers don't necessarily pop up, the fact that he was the first guy off the bench in the Seahawks' stacked RB room speaks volumes about the team's confidence in his skills. That should translate to a breakout season in the first year of the post-Walker era, per Brendon Nelson of On SI:
"Probably not a thousand yards or anything; that milestone will likely be achieved by Price, if anyone. But I could see Holani having 30 catches and somewhere around 500 yards from scrimmage. At those numbers, he will have certainly earned his roster spot and meager pay, and possibly a role for someone in 2027," wrote Nelson.
If things go according to plan, the Seahawks will have their workhorse of the future in Jadarian Price. However, that doesn't mean they wouldn't have a clear and featured role for Holani, at least while Charbonnet works his way back from injury.
Holani has a similar body type and style. He may not be explosive or exceptionally fast, but he shows great patience and vision, and he brings plenty of physicality to the table as a blocker in the passing game. He can also contribute on special teams, and that type of versatility will make it tough for the Seahawks to get him off the field.
Charbonnet is entering a contract year, so he might be eager to rush his way back to the field to secure a big payday. That might not be in the team's best interests, and given how these injuries tend to linger, they should make sure he's 100 percent healthy before getting him on the gridiron.
That should give Holani plenty of wiggle room to show that he also belongs in the league. And even though Emanuel Wilson should also get multiple opportunities, Holani's familiarity with the offense and Price's lack of experience and ball-security issues -- he had 3 fumbles in his final season in college -- should grant him more than enough touches to post career bests all across the board.
Add us as a preferred source on Google