The Seattle Seahawks did not have to wait long for first-round pick Jadarian Price to hear the expectation from one of the players who will be blocking for him.
Seahawks guard Grey Zabel, the team’s 2025 first-round pick and a Super Bowl champion as a rookie, posted an Instagram Story welcoming Price with a blunt message: “Heyyyyyyyyy! Let’s RTDB big dog!” The acronym is not subtle. It means “run the damn ball.”
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That is exactly why the message matters. Price was not just Seattle’s first pick of the 2026 NFL draft. He was the Seahawks’ first offensive answer after losing Kenneth Walker, who left in free agency after winning Super Bowl MVP with Seattle, according to The News Tribune’s Gregg Bell.
The Seahawks selected Price with the No. 32 overall pick, the final selection of the first round. The team’s official site confirmed Price was Seattle’s first selection of the draft and posted his draft-call video with John Schneider and Mike Macdonald.
Zabel’s message turns that pick into something more direct: Seattle’s offensive line is already telling the rookie what kind of identity he is walking into.
Grey Zabel’s Message Points to Seahawks’ Offensive Plan
Zabel is not a random teammate hyping up a new draft pick. He is part of the reason Seattle can plausibly make a first-round running back work.
The Seahawks drafted Zabel No. 18 overall in 2025 out of North Dakota State, and he quickly became a foundational piece up front. Multiple reports entering the 2026 draft described the selection as a major success for a Seahawks team now defending a Super Bowl title.
That makes his “RTDB” message a little more meaningful than standard rookie welcome content. It is the starting point of Price’s NFL job description.
Seattle did not spend a first-round pick on a running back to treat him like a novelty. The Seahawks took Price after Walker’s exit and with Zach Charbonnet coming off reconstructive knee surgery, per The News Tribune. Bell also reported that none of the six running backs on Seattle’s offseason roster entering draft night were signed beyond 2026.
That is a real roster opening, not a luxury pick.
Jadarian Price Arrives With Explosive Traits, but a Bigger Workload Question
Price brings the kind of burst that fits an aggressive run-game message. Schneider described his “instant acceleration, vision, cut-back ability” and called his decisive cutback skill a “supertalent,” according to The News Tribune.
The upside is clear. Price was productive at Notre Dame despite sharing the backfield with Jeremiyah Love, who went No. 3 overall to the Arizona Cardinals. Pro Football Talk noted that Price and Love were the only two running backs selected in the first round.
The question is volume.
Field Gulls highlighted the unusual nature of Price’s profile, noting that he never started at Notre Dame and entered the NFL with an extremely low number of college touches for a running back drafted this high. That can be framed two ways: Price has less wear than many first-round backs, but Seattle is also betting on projection more than a long résumé as a feature runner.
That is where Zabel’s post fits. “RTDB” is not just a slogan. It hints at the workload Seattle may want Price to grow into quickly.
Seahawks Are Giving Price a Clear Lane to Matter Right Away
The Seahawks could have traded down from No. 32, but they stayed put. Schneider had made no secret of his interest in moving down, but no trade partner materialized before Seattle picked Price.
That matters because first-round running backs carry immediate expectations. Price is not joining a team with a settled long-term starter in front of him. He is entering a backfield in transition, with Walker gone, Charbonnet recovering and the defending champions trying to keep their offensive identity intact.
Zabel’s message was short, but it said the quiet part out loud.
Seattle wants Price to be part of a bruising, downhill, run-first answer to life after Walker. The rookie still has to prove he can handle NFL volume, pass protection and a bigger weekly role than he had at Notre Dame. But the welcome from Zabel made the first expectation unmistakable.
Run the damn ball.
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