The Seattle Seahawks are off to a solid 3-1 start this season, and most of the Seattle roster looks like it was supposed to as they chase a second-straight Super Bowl. The defense is elite under Mike Macdonald, the offense gets the job done thanks to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and the Seahawks get plenty of work done on special teams.
The one spot that has been a bit of a revolving door so far this year is the running back spot. Zach Charbonnet is still working his way back from a torn ACL, and rookie first-round pick Jadarian Price is on injured reserve with a chest injury. As a result, the Seahawks attempted to sign former Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon heading into Week 5.
On Tuesday, the Mixon signing fell through when the two-time Pro Bowler failed his physical with the Seahawks. Macdonald commented on the failed move on Wednesday, via ESPN's Brady Henderson.
“It just didn't work out,” Macdonald said. “That's probably the most we should say about it with respect to the process. Those things happen and it's just part of the process.”
In the meantime, Emanuel Wilson and George Holani will continue to handle the running back duties until Charbonnet and Price get back on the field. Charbonnet recently returned to practice and is expected to return in the next few weeks, but he has been ruled out for Week 5.
Article Continues BelowNew offensive coordinator Brian Fleury has also thrown in some wrinkles at running back to help the Seahawks get some explosiveness at the position. On Sunday, wide receiver and return specialist Rashid Shaheed scored a touchdown on a toss play while lined up at running back.
The Seahawks will need all hands on deck on Sunday if they are going to get a win over the 4-0 San Francisco 49ers in a massive divisional game in the NFC West, so it's no wonder that Macdonald wanted to quickly shift the focus to game week. The Seahawks can move into first place in the division with a win in front of their home fans.