
The makeup of the Seahawks' running back room, from the outside at least, isn't great, but does the franchise feel differently?
The Seattle Seahawks likely knew months in advance that running back Kenneth Walker was going to leave in free agency.
Given Walker's performances that extended into the playoffs and the Super Bowl, the asking price was always going to be more than Seattle was willing to offer.
As such, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Walker to a three-year, $45 million deal.
That now leaves a huge hole at the top of the running back depth chart.
Zach Charbonnet, the likely starter, will miss the early portion of the season as he recovers from an ACL injury. That then leaves Emanuel Wilson, George Holani, and Kenny McIntosh as the three backs behind Sam Darnold. That isn't ideal.
Head coach Mike Macdonald stated that many are sleeping on his running backs, so he is clearly confident in the group.
But they can't go into Week 1 with that lineup, can they?
For Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon, the biggest question aimed at the Seahawks is how they address their run game.
"Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III escaped as a free agent, and the interior offensive line was a weak link to begin with," Gagnon wrote. "That could be accentuated with less explosive talent in the backfield. Seattle might look to replace Walker and/or right guard Anthony Bradford early in the draft."
So there are a couple of ways to fix or fortify the run game.
The Seahawks can get another back early in the draft, like Jadarian Price, or even a veteran in free agency, such as Najee Harris, to improve the run game.
Or they can improve the offensive line to make it easier for the backs currently on the roster to be productive.
Either option would help new coordinator Brian Fleury, but with only four draft picks, Seattle doesn't have much to work with and would need to hit on its first three selections (one each in the first three rounds).
The run game, at the time of writing, doesn't feel "set" by any means, and with an addition like Najee, Seattle would likely feel it is in a good spot, at least until Charbonnet returns.
But how will the Seahawks ultimately address their run game? Your guess is as good as mine.


