Seahawks Rookie Injury Opens Window of Opportunity
The Seattle Seahawks had some unfortunate news within the team this past Saturday, as Kenny Mcintosh had torn his ACL the previous Friday, though more tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis. It will sideline him for the upcoming 2025 NFL season. This would eliminate some of the depth in Seattle’s three-peat deep stable of rushers this season. Unfortunately, McIntosh was not likely to be in line for a massive bump this season.
Though it all comes down to the depth that the team has needed in the 2024 season. Kenneth Walker missed six games in a row that season alone. However, if Walker does not continue to improve, McIntosh could come up big where Walker has been shorthanded, posting 5.5 yards per carry on 31 carries this past season. Seattle had also drafted another bruiser of a rusher, Damian Martinez. As a seventh-round pick in the last NFL Draft, Martinez seems to be NFL-ready ready according to offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s system in place.
If the Seahawks are looking for another rusher behind Walker and Zach Charbonnet, Martinez could be the right candidate for that job. There was going to be a bit of a heavy load of running backs with McIntosh healthy and pre-injury, with Martinez being at risk of being waived from the team. Even if the team does not want to lose any of the players that they have, while they still have them, anyway. McIntosh was hitting his stride and maximizing his limited opportunities. However, running back is a position that the team is not lacking in on any front. The team will likely keep four running backs to have options if more issues related to injuries arise from this point forward.
Martinez will likely benefit from an increase in training camp reps. George Holani will rival and battle it out against Martinez for the role. Holani was kept by the team as an undrafted rookie. While 2025 free agent Jacardia Wright will try and unseat one of those two. Some quality veteran free agents remain available currently. However, it is also unlikely at this time that the Seahawks will dip into that free agent market. They could possibly sign another free agent as camp competition, but it is hard to see them needing to bring in another player when they already spent draft capital on Martinez, as well as taking an interest in Holani.
With all the Injury uncertainty at this time, it would not be surprising to see the Seattle Seahawks keep three running backs on their active roster, while also still having two slots on the practice squad. This may not be the exact and final group of running backs for the team for this season. However, there is still potential for that in the future. Seattle could bring in another undrafted rookie to compete with Wright. In short, Martinez and Holani benefit from more reps, and Wright has a golden ticket of an opportunity to try and push either of the two off the slot. However, more competition could be on the way in the future as well.
