BUMP AND STACY
Bumpus: Seattle Seahawks could use veteran RB Mark Ingram II
Apr 11, 2023, 1:57 PM | Updated: 3:41 pm
Saints RB Mark Ingram II celebrates a touchdown against Minnesota on Oct. 2, 2022 in London. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Depth at running back is something the Seattle Seahawks still need to address this offseason, with only returning starter Kenneth Walker Jr. and third-year back DeeJay Dallas the only notable players on Seattle’s roster at the position.
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The Seahawks are always a likely candidate to take a running back in the NFL Draft, and that is certainly still the case for later this month. But there are also options for Seattle in free agency, and there’s one veteran back in particular that Seattle Sports’ Michael Bumpus wouldn’t mind seeing in a Seahawks jersey next season: Mark Ingram II.
The 33-year-old Ingram, a three-time Pro Bowler and three-time 1,000-yard rusher, says he wants to play a 13th season in 2023. And though he’s been more of a role player in recent seasons, he would bring something that Bumpus, a former WSU and Seahawks wide receiver, thinks would fit in well with the Seahawks’ lead back.
“I like his running style. I think it complements Ken Walker,” Bumpus said during Tuesday’s edition of Bump and Stacy. “Now, I’m not asking him to get 200 carries, 300 carries. I’m asking him just to come in and on third-and-short, if you need a body, get down there and get dirty.”
.@markingramII gets the @Saints on the board! #Saints
📺: #NOvsCAR on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/gwLoH5SIcp pic.twitter.com/a0KiHrvL0A— NFL (@NFL) September 25, 2022
Bumpus pointed to the leadership Ingram showed during his time with the Baltimore Ravens, who he played for during playoff seasons in 2019 and 2022, as a big plus.
“I like the energy of Mark Ingram, as well. I think about that playoff run of him and (Ravens quarterback) Lamar Jackson – ‘Big Trust,’ he kept saying. That type of energy, his personality and his play I feel like fits in perfectly with the Seahawks. Get him for the low. I’m not saying depend on this guy, but bring him in, have a mentor and back Ken Walker up.”
What will the Seattle Seahawks do at running back?
While Bumpus thinks Ingram would make sense as a Seahawks signing, he understands that the draft is probably still a route they will take to fill out their running back room. That’s not to say it should rule out any veteran additions, though.
“I still think they’re going to draft a running back because that’s what the Hawks do,” Bumpus said. “You still got DeeJay Dallas on the roster, as well. If you know anything about the Seahawks, you need running backs in the stable because for some reason they get banged up. It’s a violent position, it is what it is.”
Bumpus answers four football questions live at 11:15 a.m. daily during Four-Down Territory on Bump and Stacy. Listen to Tuesday’s edition in the second segment of the podcast below.
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