The Seahawks were able to clear out some space in their running backs room this offseason as they allowed Rashaad Penny and Travis Homer to depart for Philadelphia and Chicago, respectively, in free agency. Tony Jones signed with the Broncos and fellow practice squad running backs Godwin Igwebuike and Wayne Gallman both still sit on the free agent market after their contracts with the team expired, leaving only Kenneth Walker and DeeJay Dallas on the roster leading up to the draft. 
Seattle drafted two rookies to join Walker and Dallas and now face yet another season in which they may be rostering four or more running backs. In fact, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times is fairly sure that four backs will be retained on the 53-man roster with the likely question being who takes that fourth spot.
Walker, who finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting with an impressive debut outing, is certain to return as the team’s lead back. After amassing 1,050 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 11 starts, Walker will be looking to take the next step in his sophomore season.
Dallas returns for the final year of his rookie contract. He’s never gotten to display much as a backup running back, usually splitting touches with Homer and Penny, not to mention Chris Carson, Alex Collins, and Carlos Hyde in previous years, but this may be the year that Dallas gets to breakout out as a true primary backup behind Walker. Even if the two rookies prevent him from establishing a role as RB2, Dallas’s roster spot should be safe. Over his three years in Seattle, Dallas has been a dedicated special teams contributor and a reliable returner of both punts and kickoffs.
The Seahawks used a second-round selection, their fourth pick in the first two rounds, to select Zach Charbonnet out of UCLA. Charbonnet projects as the most likely option to unseat Dallas as the second back behind Walker. After a strong freshman season at Michigan that saw him rush for 726 yards and 11 touchdowns, Charbonnet lost carries as a sophomore to Hassan Haskins and Blake Corum, leading to a transfer to the west coast. Charbonnet responded to losing his job in Ann Arbor by dominating the Pac-12, rushing for 2,496 yards and 27 touchdowns over two seasons with the Bruins. He brings a bit more size to the position than Walker or Dallas yet still provides a surprising agility to go along with great vision and reliable pass-catching.
Kenny McIntosh was the team’s final draft pick of 2023 in the seventh round. As a senior at Georgia last year, McIntosh finally got an opportunity to perform as the lead back after the NFL departures of James Cook and Zamir White. McIntosh delivered with 829 rushing yards for 10 touchdowns, but he truly thrived as a receiving back, catching 43 passes for 505 yards and two more touchdowns in 2022. Walker, Dallas, and Charbonnet all have some pass-catching ability, but McIntosh’s specialty in the area may be enough to secure him a roster spot as a rookie. McIntosh has similar size to Charbonnet and has more experience as a committee back with a receiving role from his time with the Bulldogs.
The only other back on the roster, after the team waived undrafted rookie Chris Smith this week, is Bryant Koback, a previously undrafted running back who spent last season on the Vikings’ practice squad. Koback put up ridiculous numbers at Toledo, rushing for 4,026 yards and 45 touchdowns over his career as a Rocket. That total could’ve been even higher if Koback hadn’t been limited to six games in a COVID-shortened 2020 season. While Koback has a strong college resume, Condotta is under the impression that it will take a lot in order for him to unseat McIntosh as the fourth running back on the roster.
Therein lies the plan for Seattle in 2023. Walker should continue as the team’s lead back with either Dallas or Charbonnet taking over key backup duties. Dallas can also compete for pass-catching duties with the other rookie, McIntosh. And, unless Charbonnet and McIntosh make Dallas completely superfluous with strong special teams contributions of their own, Dallas should continue to be a core special teamer for the Seahawks. All this while Koback gives his best audition to prove he deserves a chance in the regular season.
As a 49ers fan, I Haye to say it, but the Seahawks did have a very impressive draft.
No matter what you think of CB Witherspoon or Slot WR Smith-Njigba they both easily graded as the top prospects available at both of their positions. Some “analysts” might have had Witherspoon second or Smith-Njigba second, but either way, that is still incredibly impressive for a playoff team to acquire two top-tier talents at such skill positions.
Also. Seattle’s draft wasn’t just really good because of their first two picks, their next set of picks helped them add another two really good set of prospects in Auburn’s former OLB D.Hall and the aforementioned Charbonnet from UCLA. Both will play meaningful snaps for the Seakhawks right away, and both selections will help add more talent and depth to their roster.
Their 4th Round saw them add Guard Anthony Bradford and DT Cameron Young. Again, Seattle was able to add two more players that will lengthen and strengthen their depth in the trenches, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see both Bradford and Young be able to step up if their names are called due to injuries.
Their 5th Round pick was only one of the best Centers in college football the past two seasons in Oluwatimi, and he very well will be making an impact for the Seahawks sooner rather than later.
There were also some other later round picks, but I think the Seahawks also got a steal of a pick in Kenny McIntosh. The former UGA back graded out as the absolute best receiving back this draft, and he was considered one of the more elite receiving backs to cone out the last few drafts. Also, he’s very solid when it comes to pass protection, and he carries a great burst initially when he’s running the ball. He does a great job using his above average field vision to follow his blocks, and this, along with seemingly always falling forwars for an extra yard, helps him maximize his attempts.
I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see the Hawks ultimately utilize more of a trio of backs with Walker, Charbonnet, and then McIntosh taking over Dallas’ spot as their 3DRB and receiving back. McIntosh has also shown an ability to.be a very solid ST player, so that should help him get the edge of Dallas since McIntosh is a significantly better receiver than DD. Heck, he’s a better receiver than alot of WRs honestly, and his grades easily reflect that…
Seahawks are definitely building depth and getting alot better, and that makes me very uncomfortable as a 49ers fan…lol
Well said!
Well, this isn’t unusual. Seattle has done this before, and had a productive platoon attack on the ground in prior years, especially following Lynch’s exit. Guys like Carson, Penny, Homer, Turbin, Dallas, Michael, Rawls, McKissic, Lacy, Davis…there have been quite a few backs to pass through Seattle just in the last eight or so years since Lynch’s departure, and many were active at the same time. I’m not surprised to see them go this route again, as they’ve had respectable production in the past.
I think Pete Carroll deserves some credit here. Other coaches want Ferrari’s in the garage but Pete can get good mileage from players comparable to a Honda Civic.
The Seahawks under Carroll have always been good at finding production from non-star players, and that’s one of their advantages. That’s one reason that I think that Jon Schneider is one of the best GMs on the league. The downside is, of course, that they aren’t particularly good at retaining star players when those under the radar guys move up in the NFL echelons. As Sherman and some others have said, eventually Carroll’s approach wears thin and becomes repetitive to the stars. The scheme isn’t usually mindblowing, but the Seahawks truly excel in my opinion at motivating players and using them in their best spots. That’s how they manage to get so much out of players who may be second tier or depth on other teams.
Seems like a solid plan given all the departures and washouts they had at the position. You can never tell when the guy on the bench will turn out to be a star – regardless of their original draft position, especially if they don’t see game action.
seems like their week 1 starter always gets hurt at some point
Pretty common with all nfl teams