When Seattle Seahawks’ Kenny McIntosh went down with a torn ACL early in training camp, it appeared to open the door for 2025 draft pick Damien Martinez to claim the third running back spot behind Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.
After getting him in the seventh round, coach Mike Macdonald praised Martinez’s physicality and downhill running style. He didn’t mention Marshawn Lynch by name, but the implication was clear.
Having a potential workhorse is appealing for a club that wants to re-establish a potent running game and also has the talented-but-often fragile Walker in the RB1 slot. Charbonnet certainly seems poised to assume a little bit more of the load in 2025, but running back is a brutal position, and depth is essential.
Unfortunately for the former University of Miami star, Seattle's opening preseason game did not go according to plan, and suddenly, Martinez seems to have been passed on the depth chart by a couple of undrafted free agents from the last two years.
The Seattle Seahawks running back depth chart after one preseason game
We won’t have anything official until Mike Macdonald chooses to share it, but it sure seemed on Thursday that Martinez was not the RB3.
George Holani got the start ahead of him, and the second-year fan favorite made the most of it. Operating against a lot of Raiders’ starters, Holani blasted runs of 19, 8, and five yards on the opening drive.
Martinez got in on the second drive and didn’t look too bad. He showed off some of his power but wasn’t nearly as quick or explosive as Holani. For his part, Holani responded to being stuffed on a couple of plays with a gorgeous sweep around left end for a 24-yard touchdown.
For the game, Holani ran seven times for 61 yards and caught his only target for another 20 yards. That works out to 81 yards and a touchdown in just eight touches. And against a Pete Carroll defense
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Holani was in a battle last preseason with McIntosh for the final running back spot, but eventually spent most of the season on the practice squad. He impressed not only with his running and catching but with his blocking and special teams prowess. The way he looked on Thursday, he does not intend to languish on the practice squad this season.
If Martinez were locked in a battle with Holani, that would be a challenge enough for the rookie. But as we saw in the second half, Holani isn’t the only UDFA staking a claim to a backfield spot.
Jacardia Wright introduced himself to the 12 with seven carries for 34 yards and a touchdown of his own. He also had a 45-yard gallop around right end nullified by a holding call. On that play in particular, Wright showed unexpected speed and burst.
Compared with those two highly productive evenings, Martinez was mundane. Six carries for a paltry ten yards. Toss out his long run of five yards, and he carried five times for five yards. To make matters worse, the rookie muffed a bouncing kickoff and left his team pinned inside their own 10-yard line when they were trying to preserve a lead late.
With just two more preseason games, Martinez does not have much time to prove he belongs. And now, it appears he not only has to push ahead of Holani, but perhaps Wright as well. I don’t expect Macdonald and Klint Kubiak to give up on him after one sub-par performance, but the hill he has to climb to secure a roster spot looks a lot steeper on Friday morning than it did on Thursday afternoon.