George

Holani

Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in Seattle’s first playoff game during their Super Bowl run. He has done some light work at minicamp and MacDonald hinted that he’s ahead of schedule. It would still be surprising to see Charbonnet on the field for Week 1, but it’s at least a good sign that MacDonald is leaving the door open. If he isn’t ready for the start of the season, George Holani would be in line to back up first-round rookie Jadarian Price. Holani would likely see the bulk of his snaps on passing downs, giving him some RB3 potential in PPR leagues.

The pass protection and receiving talents that Holani showcased in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl LX run earned him the coaching staff’s trust last year. Although Holani is operating as the Seahawks’ current RB1, The News Tribune’s Gregg Bell notes that the team is increasing rookie RB Jadarian Price’s first-team involvement. Given Price’s first-round draft capital, it seems likely that he will overtake Holani in the practice rotation at some point this summer, but Holani seemingly does have a chance to retain a role once the season begins. Stay tuned.

Per The Athletic’s Mike Dugar, Schneider “once again brought up Holani unprompted.” Schneider punctuated his thoughts on Holani by saying, “every time he goes in the game, he just performs.” Earlier this week, Dugar said he believes the Seahawks will “probably” use one of their first three picks on a running back, but left Holani out of his comments while exploring the topic. Today, the Seahawks signed former Packers RB Emanuel Wilson, a burly rusher who played well as a backup and fill-in starter last season. The Seahawks used RB Kenneth Walker, now a Chief, as their lead rusher. No. 2 RB Zach Charbonnet, currently rehabbing a torn ACL, led the way on passing downs and in short-yardage and green zone situations. His return date is unknown. Wilson and Holani are a lesser duo, so Dugar’s draft-day expectations have decent odds of coming to fruition. Perhaps Holani will get a chance to compete for a receiving role, though.

It’s worth noting that nowhere in this reaction to Day 1 did Dugar even mention “incumbent” back George Holani, who feels like a placeholder at the top of the depth chart while Zach Charbonnet recovers from a January ACL tear. The Seahawks will (our speculation) likely find a veteran back in free agency to head up a committee while Charbonnet recovers.

The transaction ensures both players will be with the team in 2026 as a qualifying tender applied to an exclusive rights free agent precludes them from negotiating with other franchises. The former undrafted free agent running back carved out a significant role down the stretch for the Super Bowl champs as a change of pace option behind Kenneth Walker following the season-ending injury to Zach Charbonnet, albeit requiring the injury to see regular action beyond special teams. Holani provides meaningful depth, at bare minimum. Also tendered was safety Ty Okada.

The Seahawks finally went down to a one-man backfield for the biggest game of the year, with Kenneth Walker III out-touching his new caddy 29-3. On the season, second-year UDFA Holani was a distant No. 3 option behind KWIII and Zach Charbonnet. That changed following Charbonnet’s Divisional Round ACL tear, though Holani’s late postseason work was obviously borne of necessity. Already 26 years old, Holani does not project as a meaningful future piece of Seattle’s backfield even if Walker departs in free agency.

He played 23 snaps to Cam Akers’ one, so Holani looks like a safe bet to be Seattle’s backup runner in Super Bowl LX. Holani had 15 receiving yards in the regular season and 27 here, so it seems like the Seahawks trust him to handle passing-down responsibilities in Zach Charbonnet’s absence. He might be a reasonable punt play in DFS lineups in two weeks.

With Zach Charbonnet out for the remainder of the postseason because of a torn ACL, the Seahawks are considerably thin at RB2. Holani was just activated off injured reserve and Akers didn’t join the team until the middle of the season. Akers does not have a carry with Seattle this year and Holani has just 22 attempts. Though we do buy that both backs will see the field today, it’s hard to imagine Seattle doing anything other than leaning on Kenneth Walker. Walker gashed the 49ers for 116 yards and three scores on 19 carries last week. He remains the top fantasy option at running back for the Conference Championship slate.

Holani will likely see RB2 reps — at least some of them — behind Kenneth Walker against the Rams on Sunday. He’ll be an interesting DFS punt. Velus Jones and Cam Akers are also on the roster, and one of them will probably be inactive on Sunday if Holani is up.

Macdonald’s phrasing suggests Holani, not RB Cam Akers nor RB Velus Jones, would operate as the team’s No. 2 running back behind Walker, with former No. 2 RB Zach Charbonnet sidelined by a season-ending ACL tear. Macdonald adds that it is “realistic” for Holani to play this week. He has a chance to take on pass-protection duties while chipping in as a rotational ballcarrier.