SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 04: Emanuel Wilson #23 of the Seattle Seahawks runs the ball against Cam Hart #20 of the Los Angeles Chargers during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field on October 04, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks are adjusting to their shortened backfield depth with Jadarian Price on injured reserve and Zach Charbonnet still working back from knee surgery.
After electing not to add veteran Joe Mixon following a workout and physical on Monday, the Seahawks signed Robert Henry Jr. off the Washington Commanders practice squad, and Dontae McMillan to their practice squad for added depth ahead of Sunday's matchup with the NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers.
Dig deeper:
Emanuel Wilson rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries in the win over the Los Angeles Chargers last week. He appears set to continue in the primary role for the time being.
"He’s doing well," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "I don’t know what his numbers are. We had a great game, the Arizona game. He carried it well last game. The Washington game, as a team, we didn’t run it as well as we wanted to. He’s a good back. He’s heavy, he falls forward. He’s got good vision. Let’s keep it rolling."
Macdonald said the potential of adding Mixon "didn't work out."
"Probably the most we should say about it with respect to the process. Those things happen, and it’s a part of the process," Macdonald said.
Instead, Henry joins the Seahawks from Washington's practice squad. Henry had 26 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown in the preseason with the Commanders. Last year at UTSA, Henry had 1,045 yards and nine touchdowns.
"Someone that we had a solid evaluation with throughout the process of him coming out. Looking forward to seeing what he can do. He’s here and practicing, and we’ll see how it goes," Macdonald said.
"He’s got good vision, got good burst, got good acceleration. A lot of good stuff."
Henry is working to get up to speed with Seattle's offense, having just received his playbook on Tuesday.
"I've just got to stay in my book so I can get out there fast," Henry said on Wednesday.
"When I was in Washington, the play (calls) were a little shorter. Here, almost every play has a kill, so the play is much longer cause you've got two plays (it could be)."
Henry said he models his game after New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, saying he viewed his game as that of a more elusive runner.
Additionally, the Seahawks used wide receiver Rashid Shaheed for a pair of carries in Sunday's win over the Chargers. Macdonald said they've been planning to use Shaheed out of the backfield long before the recent run of injuries.
"We’ve been practicing with him at halfback since Brian (Fleury) got here," Macdonald said. "Part of our running game is you want people, non-halfbacks carrying the ball, so there’s more things they have to defend. I’d say it’s been a part of the plan because of JD (Jadarian Price) going down, because he’s a fast guy that can get on the perimeters, those are more of an edge to see what those plays can do."
The backstory:
Price will be out through at least the end of the month as he has to miss four games on the injured reserve list due to his chest injury initially sustained against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. He'll miss contests against the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs before being eligible to return against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 2.
The additions of Henry and McMillan will help the Seahawks buy time for Charbonnet to get back to full strength ahead of his return to action. Charbonnet was designated to return to practice from the physically unable to perform list on Thursday and took part in two workouts with the team. He's expected to get some team reps this week as the Seahawks ramp up his workload.
McMillan's addition gives Seattle one more option on the practice squad since Jacardia Wright was placed on practice squad injured reserve on Tuesday. Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reported Wright has been dealing with a foot injury.
It seems unlikely that Charbonnet will be back this week as he's just beginning to get reps in team periods of practice this week. He's just about to reach the eight-month mark in his recovery from ACL surgery in February.
Roster Moves:
The Seahawks designated wide receiver Irvin Charles Jr to return to practice from injured reserve on Wednesday, opening a 21-day practice window.
Charles is the first player to be designated to return from injured reserve this season, taking one of Seattle's eight allotments. Charles was required to get one of those spots due to being more to injured reserve during roster cutdowns in August.
Charles isn't likely to be involved in Seattle's offense when he returns to action, but he's a very strong special teams player as a gunner on kicks, which is one of the biggest reasons the Seahawks traded for him this offseason.
Additionally, the Seahawks re-signed safety A.J. Finley to the practice squad after he cleared waivers.
Notes:
Defensive tackle Leonard Williams was a limited participant at practice on Wednesday after being sidelined late in the win over the Chargers with a left ankle injury. Macdonald said they were optimistic about Williams' chances to play this week on Monday and his participation in practice on Wednesday is a good sign.
Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba got the day off to rest, and linebacker Chazz Surratt didn't practice with a calf injury.
Running back Zach Charbonnet (knee), Irvin Charles Jr. (knee), running back George Holani (ribs), linebacker Tyrice Knight (ankle), cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (ankle) and guard Beau Stephens (knee) were limited on Wednesday.
Injury Report:
The Source: Information in this story comes from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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