The Seattle Seahawks just lost their Super Bowl MVP this past offseason in Kenneth Walker III.
Although they did bring in Green Bay Packers backup running back, Emanuel Wilson to support former RB2 Zach Charbonnet, who moves into a starting role despite suffering an ACL tear at the end of last season, it does feel like the team might be lacking at the position heading into the 2026 season.
In fact, despite Wilson’s strong displays filling in for Packers starter Josh Jacobs over the past couple of seasons, it would be somewhat of a surprise if the Seahawks did not select a running back at some point in the first four or five rounds of the draft, particularly in light of how strong their all-around roster is otherwise.
But it could also be that drafting ends up not being the strategy. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton believes that Seattle is a “top landing spot” for Miami Dolphins back De’Von Achane if the team decides to trade him. Moton describes RB as the Seahawks’ “biggest need” and suggests that Achane would be the most dynamic player to fill that hole on offense.
Seahawks
“One week away from the 2026 NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks’ biggest need is at running back. They lost Kenneth Walker III to the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency, and Zach Charbonnet is recovering from a torn ACL.” Moton wrote on April 16.
“The Seahawks only have four 2026 draft picks, though they still have three top-100 selections. Considering the club’s $32.9 million in cap space, it has the resources to acquire De’Von Achane and sign him to a lucrative extension.”
One might ask why the Seahawks would decline on paying Walker, who ended up commanding a three year, $43 million free agent contract from the Kansas City Chiefs, which works out to just over $14 million per year, and instead not only give up draft capital for but subsequently dish out an ever larger extension to Achane.
The answer – quite possibly – lies with Achane’s dual-threat prowess.
“Achane can match Walker’s production on the ground and bring more to the passing game.” Moton continued. “In four seasons, Walker has caught 133 passes for 1,005 yards and two touchdowns. Achane hauled in 145 passes for 1,080 yards and 10 touchdowns over the last two years.”
The Dolphins back has over double the production of Walker in the passing game, and potentially even more enticingly, has not missed a game due to injury over the past two seasons since suffering a knee injury in his rookie year.
Walker, on the other hand, has had multiple injury woes over the course of his career that has seen him miss a total of 10 games in four years, including 6 in 2024.
Ultimately, it would be hard to convince anyone that ever-prudent General Manager John Schneider is lining up to give up multiple draft picks for a running back, especially if that trade involved parting ways with #32 overall.
But if the opportunity came up and the price was right, Achane is the type of special talent on offense that even the most rigid of decision makers are willing to make an exception for.
Seahawks’ De’Von Achane Rumors Heat Up After Latest List