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This offseason has been difficult for the Seattle Seahawks, as one of the reasons for their Super Bowl run in running back Kenneth Walker III left via free agency for the Kansas City Chiefs. This was a move that the Seahawks were criticized for not paying Walker what he wanted after a tremendous postseason.
The Seahawks found a suitable replacement in rookie Jadarian Price in the first-round, 32nd overall pick, in the 2026 NFL Draft. Price and Walker are completely different in terms of playing style.
Price isn’t above the Seahawks’ offense
Price made an appearance on NFL Network’s The Insider to talk about his fresh NFL journey and his excitement for the upcoming rookie season. Among the biggest topics discussed was Seattle going from Walker to Price and how different he would be. He will likely earn more reps in the first half of the season with Zach Charbonnet recovering from an ACL injury. Despite the expected high reps early in the season, Price said he is ready for 30 carries, or 15 carries a game.
He is accustomed to playing in a multiple running back system at Notre Dame with Heisman Trophy finalist Jeremiyah Love, who is now with the Arizona Cardinals. Price said he and Love would always try to help and build each other while at Notre Dame. Finally, he said he is looking forward to working more with a Seahawks team that goes for process than results.
This is a huge difference from Walker, who consistently let his frustrations be known about splitting the backfield with Charbonnet. Walker showing his value without Charbonnet for most of the playoffs and claiming Super Bowl MVP was enough for Walker to believe he is above the offense.
The spotlight isn’t too big for Price with Charbonnet out
There will be a spotlight on Price this upcoming season. Going from the No. 2 running back of an elite rushing offense in college to the No. 1 back in the NFL is a big leap. Price said that the spotlight will be a lot to handle, but playing in the NFL is enough to overcome that small negative mentality. He also said that he felt more comfortable when he got to the Seahawks’ facility to work during OTAs, minicamp, and, now, the rookie training camp.
The spotlight will be even bigger on Price with Charbonnet officially being placed on the league's PUP list by the Seahawks, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. This is one step closer for Charbonnet to return from his knee injury, but he might still need some more time to recover. It will be clear that the Seahawks want to utilize Price and Charbonnet similiar to Walker and Charbonnet the last few seasons.
Price is 100% healthy and has already learned a lot during the long offseason. He will get a chance to learn a lot more during the team training camp, where he will get a chance to earn the starting running back job. With Walker gone and Charbonnet recovering from an injury, Price is the favorite over third-year veteran George Holani and former Green Bay Packers powerback Emanuel Wilson. That spotlight could help him become the league’s offensive rookie of the year.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/onsi as Zach Charbonnet Injury Update Makes Seahawks Rookie Jadarian Price Even More Important.
