The Seattle Seahawks apparently were not finished reshaping their running back room after landing Joe Mixon.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Monday night that Seattle is signing rookie running back Robert Henry Jr. to its active roster off the Washington Commanders’ practice squad.
The move came just hours after the Seahawks began the process of signing Mixon, the two-time Pro Bowler who is expected to initially join Seattle’s practice squad.
So in one day, Seattle added one of the NFL’s most accomplished veteran running backs, and a rookie it liked enough to immediately give a place on the 53-man roster.
That second part is worth paying attention to.
Seahawks Put Robert Henry Jr. on Active Roster
Henry is not simply another practice-squad lottery ticket.
Because Seattle is signing him away from Washington’s practice squad, NFL rules require the Seahawks to carry his roster charge on the 53-man list for three games. Players signed from another club’s practice squad are also guaranteed three weeks of active-roster minimum salary.
In other words, Seattle made a real commitment to Henry.
The 5-foot-9 rookie joined Washington as an undrafted free agent out of UTSA following the 2026 NFL Draft. The Commanders waived him during final cuts before bringing him back on their practice squad.
Henry gave Washington something to think about during the preseason, rushing 26 times for 105 yards and a touchdown across three games.
His final college season was considerably more explosive.
Henry rushed for 1,045 yards and nine touchdowns on 151 carries for UTSA in 2025, averaging 6.9 yards per attempt and earning first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors.
That production fits a Seahawks backfield suddenly desperate for healthy options.
Joe Mixon & Robert Henry Add to Suddenly Crowded Seahawks RB Room
The timing of Seattle’s two additions is no coincidence.
First-round rookie Jadarian Price was placed on injured reserve with a chest injury, guaranteeing he will miss at least four games.
Zach Charbonnet, meanwhile, has returned to practice following the torn ACL he suffered last postseason, but Mike Macdonald has already ruled him out for Seattle’s Week 5 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
That left Emanuel Wilson, George Holani and Velus Jones Jr. as Seattle’s healthy options before Monday’s additions.
Wilson did his best to make the position look considerably less desperate against the Los Angeles Chargers. He handled 21 carries for 81 yards and caught three passes for 39 yards, scoring once on the ground and once through the air in Seattle’s 30-23 win.
Then came Mixon.
The 30-year-old is expected to begin on Seattle’s practice squad after missing the entire 2025 season with a foot injury. His résumé, however, dwarfs everyone else in the room: five 1,000-yard rushing seasons, two Pro Bowls and 7,429 career rushing yards.
Henry represents the opposite end of the spectrum.
He has never played a regular-season NFL snap.
Yet it is Henry, not Mixon, whom Seattle is immediately putting on the active roster.
That does not necessarily mean Henry sits ahead of Mixon in the Seahawks’ plans. Mixon is coming off more than a year away from game action, and a practice-squad stint gives Seattle time to evaluate his conditioning and readiness before deciding whether to elevate him.
But the Seahawks have now added two running backs in one day while Charbonnet remains unavailable and Price is on IR.
For a position that looked increasingly thin entering Monday, Seattle suddenly has plenty of options, and a few decisions coming once everyone gets healthy.
Seahawks Make Another RB Move Hours After Joe Mixon News