Clayton: Free-agent RB Arian Foster does not fit on Seahawks’ roster
May 24, 2016, 12:31 PM
The Seahawks have loaded up their backfield options this offseason, re-signing Christine Michael and drafting three running backs to compete with rehabbing starter Thomas Rawls.
But there’s still one big name left on the free-agent market that has been linked to Seattle: Arian Foster. ESPN football insider John Clayton said, despite the rumblings all offseason, he doesn’t see a fit for the four-time Pro Bowler in Seattle.
“I think they want to go with the young running backs; I think that makes the right fit,” Clayton said. “They don’t know exactly when Arian Foster is going to be healthy and I think technically he’s been cleared now, but I don’t know if he’s going to be a guy who they would consider.”
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The Texans released Foster in March after the 29-year-old missed all but four games last season following offseason groin surgery and then tearing his Achilles in Week 7. Clayton said the rumors that Foster visited Boston as a potential match for New England were untrue and that Foster is yet to work out for any team.
Clayton says the age and injury history are scaring off potential suitors.
“I don’t really see (Seattle) going for an older running back,” he said. “They had an older running back who was great in Marshawn Lynch, now I think they want to go young.”
The Seahawks dipped into the veteran running back pool in September last year by signing 34 year old Fred Jackson as a third-down back and to shore up their depth behind Lynch and Rawls.
While the odds of Foster joining the Seahawks may be slim, Brock Huard believes there is room for the veteran in Seattle’s backfield – eventually. He called Foster a potential August move if there are injuries or if the rookies don’t quickly catch onto the system, much like the case with Drew Nowak at center in 2015.
“Arian Foster, to me would be a mid- or late-August move,” Huard said. “I can’t foresee that happening anytime this summer.”
