They used the final pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft for running back Jadarian Price to replace Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III as a workhorse on the ground, but the Seattle Seahawks are already getting a pleasant surprise from their top rookie, based on him looking “plenty capable” in another key area.
Price, the 32nd player selected this year, faced “one question” about “his ability to contribute in the passing game after he finished his college career with only 15 receptions,” according to ESPN’s Brady Henderson.
Fortunately, the latter noted how Price has “looked plenty capable as a pass catcher during the spring.”
The former Notre Dame rotational back emerging as a credible receiving threat from the backfield would provide the Seahawks with a bonus on a number of levels. Not least because, as Henderson puts it, the defending champions “did not draft Price with the thought that he’d become a high-volume starter right away.”
Price is set to share carries, but the Seahawks face concerns about the other members of their backfield committee. Concerns Price will ease if he soon proves versatile enough to play all three downs.
Jadarian Price Proving Value of Versatility
Price has impressed enough this offseason to warrant comparison to a franchise great. It’s a high bar for a player who wasn’t even the RB1 in college, instead providing a change of pace behind bell-cow back Jeremiyah Love.
Expectations are already lofty for Price, since the Seahawks need to fill the production gap created when Walker signed with the Kansas City Chiefs during free agency. The hope is Price’s vision, quick-cutting style and natural acceleration replicate the big plays Walker produced for fun during last season’s playoff runs.
Most of those gains came in the running game, so Price could add a different element as a viable pass-catcher. Especially since Seattle running backs accounted for just 53 receptions in 2025, per Pro Football Reference.
GettyPrice can prove his versatility in Seattle’s new offense.
The arrival of new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury could mean backs are a bigger part of the passing game. Fleury spent the last seven seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, working on the staff for Kyle Shanahan, who regularly featured running backs like Christian McCaffrey as receivers.
Big changes are already noticeable in Fleury’s offense, but initially he’s still likely to work in a collective of runners the way predecessor Klint Kubiak did last season. Provided the Seahawks’ multiple backs each prove worthy of reps.
Seahawks Face Growing Questions in Backfield Committee
Walker’s obvious replacement would be Zach Charbonnet, if only last season’s power back wasn’t recovering from a torn ACL. The latest injury update is positive for Charbonnet, but he’s unlikely to be 100 percent early in this campaign, so the Seahawks will need to rely on alternatives.
One of those alternatives is former undrafted free agent George Holani. He’s impressed at times this offseason, but some observers believe the Seahawks would be wise to cool the hype for Holani.
The Seahawks had hoped free agent arrival Emanuel Wilson could be their volume runner. Unfortunately, the former Green Bay Packers power back has been far from impressive since signing, even prompting suggestions he could be cut.
Each of these perceived issues with other members of the depth chart only serve to increase the pressure on Price to quickly act like a featured back.
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