Damien

Martinez

Kenny McIntosh (knee) tore his ACL over the weekend and Martinez could claim his roster spot. The seventh-rounder out of Miami drew some praise from coach Mike Macdonald, who said “I had a feeling that he would show up a little bit more with the pads [on], so hopefully that trend continues.” Martinez isn’t a real fantasy factor without injuries ahead of him, but if he wins this role he’ll make for a nice stash in dynasty leagues.

They also officially agreed to terms with seventh-round RB Damien Martinez and seventh-round WR Ricky White III. Horton and White will probably battle for a spot at the end of the roster behind Cooper Kupp, Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar has predicted that Horton will wind up as the main return specialist for Seattle this year in a recent mailbag. White and Jake Bobo will probably be in a true dogfight for the final spot in the wideout room.

Martinez (6’0/217) was a two-year starter at Oregon State and received Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and First-team All-PAC 12 honors in 2022 when he rushed for 161-982-7 in his first season. He again earned First-team All-PAC 12 honors in 2023 with a rushing line of 194-1,185-9 in 2023 but bolted for Miami for what would be his final college season. In his first and only campaign with the Hurricanes, Martinez led the team with 1,002 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns while adding another 17 catches for 204 scoreless yards. Martinez makes up for his lack of breakaway speed with an ability to create yards after contact. He forced a missed tackle on 27 percent of his carries and averaged 3.93 YCO/ATT, a mark that ranks in the upper percentile of any incoming running back since 2020. He saw only 50 targets in his college career and has a career receiving line of 32-391-0 to go along with four drops. While he can be relied on as a last-ditch option in the passing game, Martinez will likely never command a third-down/pass-catching role. His ability to drive through tacklers will make him a force in short-yardage situations and down by the goal line, but Martinez is going to struggle for rookie touches in a crowded Seahawks backfield. That’s if he can even make the 53-man roster.

The three-star recruit is already making an impact as he was seeing first-team reps at practice. Head coach Jonathan Smith indicated that Martinez (5'10/220) will be in the mix to get a prominent role in the backfield. It seems to be an open competition for lead back between Martinez, DeShaun Fenwick, and Trey Lowe with 2021 starter BJ Baylor moving to the NFL.

Martinez (5'10/220) is a solidly built pounder from Lewisville, TX who is considered the 65th running back and 127th overall prospect in Texas from the 2022 prep cycle. He received four other offers to this point from Georgia Tech, Kansas, SDSU and Texas State. He is only the second player to commit to Oregon State from next year’s class that ranks 11th in the Pac-12.