The Seattle Seahawks clearly like the potential of running back Jadarian Price, as the team chose him in round one of the 2026 NFL Draft. The key with the rookie, though, and as ESPN's Brady Henderson points out, isn't if Price can get a heavy workload at the beginning of next season, but how he fits in the rotation.
Henderson recently wrote, "But in projecting where Price will fit into that mix, it's best to view him as the Seahawks' replacement for Walker as opposed to their clear-cut RB1."
That is likely the best way to phrase exactly what to expect of Price next season. Instead of carrying the ball 20 times and catching five passes a game, he should be used the way Seattle ideally wanted to use Kenneth Walker in the past three years, ever since Zach Charbonnet was drafted in 2023.
Jadarian Price needs to replace Kenneth Walker for the Seattle Seahawks, but there's a caveat
Walker did become the workhorse in the playoffs, but that was partly because Charbonnet suffered a knee injury in the Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers. The injury may keep him out until a few weeks into next season, too. That means another running back other than Price will need to step up.
Price is going to get the ball a lot, but the team will want to keep him fresh, too. That means rotating another running back or two in for a whole series. One reason the Seahawks signed free agent Emanuel Wilson is that he can move the chains with power, while he might not break off too many explosive runs.
Wilson is more like Charbonnet, only with less speed than a healthy Charbonnet has had. Price is seemingly more like Walker with his ability to break off 60-yard runs. He can't do that as effectively if he is trying to run the ball 20-plus times.
Will Price be behind center on the first snap of next season? Probably, but he might only play in 60 percent of series in any given game. It is when he plays that matters, and he will be telling how much the Seattle Seahawks trust him as a rookie.
Starting the game and finishing the game, as Kenneth Walker often did, will be the key. Keeping Jadarian Price in at times when the team is trying to start and finish strong is more valuable than what he does on a couple of series in the second quarter. Either way, hopes are high for the rookie from Notre Dame, and Seattle needs him to meet those.
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