Seahawks sign RB Robert Henry to active roster

Henry was a depth backup for the Commanders’ running back room after signing as an undrafted free agent out of UTSA. He had a solid preseason showing but the Commanders had little room on the main roster with Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, and Kaytron Allen ahead on the depth chart. Henry is a candidate to return on the practice squad.

ESPN’s John Keim expects to hear an update on White tomorrow morning. Backup RB Jeremy McNichols is dealing with a quad injury and RB Jerome Ford (hamstring) was recently placed on injured reserve. As things currently stand, starting RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, rookie RBs Kaytron Allen and Robert Henry, and veteran RB Craig Reynolds are the four healthy players. Croskey-Merritt’s reported passing game improvements have come at the right time. Allen played well on a sizable preseason Week 1 workload. He might be in line for RB2 duties if White were to miss time.

Henry (5’9”/196) is an undersized back who spent five seasons at the college ranks, starting his career at JUCO Jones College in 2021 before making the leap to UTSA in 2023. Henry rushed for 127-588-11 in his first season with the Roadrunners, leading them in touchdowns, and was the unquestioned lead back in his final two seasons. Henry tested well in the explosiveness drills at this year’s scouting combine, but his size, coupled with his 4.52 40 time, resulted in a 6.91 RAS. He’s an average athlete at the position and has never shown enough to suggest he’ll have a three-down skillset at the next level. Henry caught 58 passes for 428 yards in three seasons at UTSA, with his season-high in receiving yards (199) coming in 2024. Henry forced missed tackles at a 24.4 percent clip on his rush attempts, and averaged a career-best 4.25 yards after contact per attempt in his final season. He still has work to do to develop in pass protection, which could further hinder his chances of getting third-down work, but his size and average athleticism could also work against him in the pros. He’ll need to impress on special teams if he hopes to crack a 53-man roster early in his career, and will be learning on the fly as PFF credits him with just eight career ST snaps in three seasons.