The Washington Commanders took back the running back the Seattle Seahawks signed away from them less than a month ago.
Washington claimed Robert Henry Jr. off waivers on Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to the NFL transaction wire. The Seahawks had waived the undrafted rookie a day earlier to open a spot on the 53-man roster for first-round pick Jadarian Price, who was activated from injured reserve before Monday night’s game against the Chicago Bears.
Had Henry cleared waivers, Seattle would have been free to offer him a spot on its practice squad. The Commanders’ claim took that option off the table and put Henry on Washington’s active roster.
Commanders Get Robert Henry Jr. Back From Seahawks
Washington was Henry’s first NFL team. The Commanders signed him after the draft out of UTSA, gave him 26 preseason carries and brought him back on the practice squad after final cuts. He ran for 105 yards and a touchdown in three preseason games.
Seattle signed Henry off that practice squad on Oct. 6, when Price was on injured reserve and Zach Charbonnet was still working his way back from a torn ACL. The Seahawks had started Emanuel Wilson against the Los Angeles Chargers two days earlier. They added Henry to the active roster and signed Dontae McMillan to the practice squad in the same round of moves.
Henry had some burst worth a look. In his final season at UTSA, he rushed for 1,045 yards and nine touchdowns on 151 carries, averaging 6.9 yards per attempt. Five of his runs went for at least 70 yards. Washington had already seen some of that speed in an NFL uniform when Henry scored on a 22-yard run against Miami in August.
Jadarian Price’s Return Changed Seattle’s Backfield
The Seahawks confirmed Monday that they waived Henry to make room for Price. The rookie from Notre Dame missed four games with a chest injury after rushing for 119 yards on 28 carries in his first three NFL games. He also caught four passes for 21 yards.
Price’s activation came as Charbonnet returned for his season debut against Chicago. That was a different backfield from the one Henry joined in October, when the Seahawks needed healthy runners behind Wilson and had no immediate return date for either Price or Charbonnet.
Washington had its own reason to move quickly. As Heavy reported, the Commanders were dealing with an injury to Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The waiver wire gave them a chance to fill a need with a player they’d already evaluated through a full training camp and preseason.
In October, Seattle had the active-roster opening that got Henry out of Washington. When that spot went back to Price, the Commanders used theirs to get Henry back.
Commanders Snag Seahawks Recently Released RB After Jadarian Price Move