With Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet nursing injuries, Seattle signs another running bacl for added depth
The Seattle Seahawks are signing another running back.
According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the plan is to have rookie preseason standout George Holani active for the rest of the season. Holani signed with Seattle as an undrafted free agent out of Boise State this past offseason. At Boise State, Holani ran for 1,569 yards and 26 touchdowns, while bringing in 88 receptions for 777 yards and eight touchdowns. During the preseason, Holani shined as a third down back, causing many beat reporters and fans to be surprised when he ended up being cut during final roster cutdowns. Holani was signed to Seattle’s practice squad immediately after.
The immediate thought surrounding Holani’s signing is that starting running back Kenneth Walker could miss extended time with his recent ankle injury. Walker has already been ruled out for the Week 17 matchup against the Chicago Bears. In addition to this, Zach Charbonnet was limited last week and in the week 16 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings with an oblique injury. Though Charbonnet has been a full participant in practice leading up to the Bears game, there may still be some uncertainty on if he is 100% or not.
Seeing that Seattle is dealing with multiple injuries to the top of their running back depth chart, it would make sense that Holani is being signed to the 53-man roster. This move gives Seattle four running backs (Walker, Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh, and Holani) who can suit up for the remainder of the season. However, an additional reason Holani may have been signed to the 53-man roster is that other NFL teams were sniffing around for his talents.
Since Holani was on the practice squad, he could have signed with any other NFL team’s 53-man roster. It is worth noting that in the report signaling Holani’s signing, he “could have been [a] popular target for other teams.” Perhaps an indicator to Holani that he won’t only be signed to the 53-man roster, but that he will be active for the final two games of the 2024 season was enough incentive for him to stay in Seattle rather than sign with another NFL team.
Holani has been on Seattle’s practice squad all of 2024 (with a short practice squad- injured reserve stint). He was active for twos game against the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. However, for Holani to earn a credited season for 2024, he will need to have been on the “active, inactive, IR, or PUP roster for three or more regular or post-season NFL games.” This means that signing Holani to the 53-man roster now, with two games left, will ensure that he gets three games on the 53-man roster and thus a credited season.
John Schneider did a similar maneuverer with quarterback, Jaren Hall, activating him to the active game day roster three times, and later signing him to the 53-man roster, also ensuring 2024 as a credited season for Hall.
For both of these reasons (added running back depth and getting Holani a credited season) it makes great sense to sign Holani to the 53-man roster. Time will tell how many snaps he may see.