The Seattle Seahawks‘ running game is a concern for some, as Jadarian Price is injured and Zach Charbonnet continues to work his way back from the torn ACL that he suffered earlier this year.
As a result, the Seahawks’ running game has a lot of question marks. In the Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle only produced 89 rushing yards, with Emanuel Wilson providing 61 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Nonetheless, Seattle is lacking a game-breaker that takes the pressure off Sam Darnold, and with the trade deadline nearing on Nov. 10, would Seattle look in the market for a potential running back?
Cody Williams of FanSided issued a trade idea featuring the Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles involving Saquon Barkley. As part of his pitch, he has Seattle giving up a 2027 third-round pick, a 2027 seventh-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick in exchange for Barkley.
“Early discussions about what a potential package for the Eagles in a Barkley trade would look like have used the 49ers’ trade for Christian McCaffrey as a starting point, though with less compensation overall because Barkley is three years older than CMC was when the Panthers made that deal,” Williams wrote in an Oct. 11 article. “Even still, it’s going to take a hefty haul to make such a deal happen.”
How Bad Is Seattle’s Running Game So Far This Season?
Seattle’s running game has been poor to start this season, and with Kenneth Walker III performing well with the Kansas City Chiefs after leaving in free agency, it’s just an additional dagger to the running game woes. As a result, Williams sees this trade idea for Barkley making sense, especially if the Eagles continue trending downward.
“Put simply, it’s hard to overstate how bad the Seahawks’ run game has been,” Williams added in his article. “The Packers have infamously boasted the NFL’s worst rushing attack this season at -0.34 Expected Points Added (EPA) per rush. The Seahawks are tied for next-to-last with the Raiders at -0.26 EPA per rush this season.”
Furthermore, trading for someone like Barkley, who missed the Eagles’ Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London due to a hamstring injury, could allow Seattle to take their time with Charbonnet and not need to rush him back due to how ineffective their run game has been to start the season.
Seahawks Need to Return Back to Their Recipe for Success
Seattle’s recipe for success last season was leaning on the run game with Charbonnet and Walker. It wasn’t the other way around, where the Seahawks’ rushing attack played second fiddle to the passing game.
“It’s been truly abysmal, which is why Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the passing offense have been forced to put up such big numbers,” Williams wrote. “But that’s a problem.
“When you look at the recipe for success offensively that led Seattle to a Super Bowl last season, it wasn’t Sam Darnold needing to chuck it all over the yard each week. He’s far too turnover-prone for that to be a viable strategy, even if he has progressed from the Jets-level turnovers and poor decision-making.”
Seahawks’ Run Game Concerns Spark Trade Idea for Eagles’ Saquon Barkley