Don’t be surprised if RB is Seahawks’ best-ranked position group

We’re entering maybe the most quiet time of the NFL calendar, squarely between mandatory minicamps and the start of training camp in late July. Which means it’s list season for the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the league.

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On Tuesday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, longtime football analyst and former NFL quarterback Brock Huard did some prognosticating about the upcoming lists – specifically when it comes to ranking positions in the NFL.

“What will be the highest-ranked position group on this Seahawks team according to folks around the country?” asked Mike Salk, Huard’s co-host.

“I think running back room,” Huard answered.

Now that’s an intriguing answer.

The Seahawks were 28th out of the 32 NFL teams with 95.7 rushing yards per game in 2024. But one of the most likely reasons offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was let go after just one season was the team’s lack of commitment to the running game last season despite it being a stated priority for head coach Mike Macdonald.

The run game is expected to be much more of a focal point under new OC Klint Kubiak. It would make sense considering the Seahawks have invested into the position in recent drafts with Kenneth Walker III (second round, 2022), Zach Charbonnet (second round, 2023), Kenny McIntosh (seventh round, 2023) and Damien Martinez (seventh round, 2025).

“I saw some little hints over the OTA season that put the Seahawks’ running back room as one of the top five running back rooms. I saw it as high as No. 3,” Huard said.

He added that a recent ESPN fantasy football article identified Charbonnet, who is bigger and more physical than usual No. 1 RB Walker, in particular as a player to watch in 2025.

“As far as a fit in this system, and in in the fantasy world of scoring touchdowns, (Charbonnet) is a real physical guy… (who could) understand the details within this system maybe a little more than the explosive freelancer that has been Ken Walker over the course of his career,” Huard said.

Angry runs only, @zachcharbon. pic.twitter.com/ba0CLzXAYS

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 31, 2023

Huard also had nice things to say about McIntosh and Martinez, the latter of whom rushed for over 1,000 yards for both Oregon State (2023) and Miami (2024).

“Last year when (McIntosh) got his opportunities to eat, he did just fine. And certainly Damien Martinez as a seventh-rounder is a hyper-productive, very talented player,” Huard said.

“So yeah, I think this running back room (will rank highest on) the lists. It won’t be tight end, it won’t be O-line, it won’t be quarterback, it won’t be receiver. Maybe D-line will push it a little bit, but there’s a lot of other quality D-line’s out there hype-wise. Linebacker room, no. I think it’s gonna be running back room will be the most highly thought of across the country.”

Brock Huard answers three football questions at 7:45 a.m. daily on Brock and Salk during the Blue 88 segment. Catch Brock and Salk live from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Five takeaways from Seahawks’ OTA and minicamp practices
• What Charles Cross said about extension talks with Seahawks
• Former Seahawks WR: Rookie TE Elijah Arroyo ‘just blew me away’
• The next step for Seattle Seahawks’ second-year DT Murphy

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