The Seahawks open the season replacing a Super Bowl MVP. Kenneth Walker III, their lead back for four years and the MVP of Super Bowl LX, left in free agency for Kansas City. What is behind him is a committee.
| Player | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| George Holani | Listed RB1 on the team’s unofficial chart | Active |
| Jadarian Price | Rookie first round pick, long term featured back | Active |
| Emanuel Wilson | Free agent addition, rotational | Active |
| Zach Charbonnet | Returns around midseason | PUP list |
Who Actually Starts?
Seattle’s first unofficial depth chart of the regular season listed George Holani as RB1, which raised eyebrows given that Jadarian Price was the No. 32 pick. Some depth chart services now list Price first. Both readings point at the same thing: this is a rotation, and the beat writers covering the team have been explicit that it stays a committee until Price’s health and workload settle it.
Unofficial depth charts are camp snapshots, not commitments. Treat the Week 1 snap counts as the real answer.
What Seattle Lost
Walker was the engine of the Super Bowl. He generated 42 rushing yards over expectation against New England, including a 30 yard run worth 26 yards over expectation on its own, against a defense that had not allowed a running back even 40 rushing yards in the entire postseason. He carried an offense that night while Sam Darnold was uneven, and he did it against the same team Seattle sees Wednesday.
Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak also left. Between the coordinator and the lead back, the run game the Seahawks won a title with has been rebuilt from the ground up.
The Rest of the Room
Zach Charbonnet is on the physically unable to perform list after tearing an ACL in the playoffs and is not expected back until around midseason, which removes the one back on the roster with real starting experience in this offense. Emanuel Wilson arrived in free agency and gives them a rotational body.
What It Means Wednesday
New England’s defense will see a backfield it has no film on as a unit. That cuts both ways: unpredictable, but also unproven. If Seattle cannot run, the pressure falls entirely on Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba against a Patriots team that finished fourth in points allowed.
Related
Patriots vs Seahawks prediction and odds · Patriots RB depth chart · Sam Darnold career teams · Seahawks schedule · Week 1 start em sit em
The Bottom Line
Holani is listed first, Price is the future, and neither is Kenneth Walker III. Expect a genuine split in the opener and treat any fantasy start here as a projection rather than a plan.