Seahawks receiving mixed reviews for running backs group

The Seattle Seahawks are coming off consecutive nine-win campaigns, but just missed the playoffs this past season. The Seahawks then underwent their first head-coaching change for the first time since 2010.

Saying there is room for improvement across the board would be an understatement. One of the main position groups associated with former head coach Pete Carroll’s success in Seattle was the RB crew. During the first half of Carroll’s tenure, Marshawn Lynch and the offensive line made the Seahawks one of the most dominant running teams in the NFL.

The Seahawks running game has never quite been the same after Lynch departed following the 2015 season, though. Not having the same level of workhorse back coupled with issues along the offensive line, Seattle’s running game hasn’t been special for quite some time.

As we approach the opening of NFL training camps in a few weeks, pundits are ranking any and everything rankable in the world of football. And the Seahawks have received some mixed reviews for the current group of running backs..

ESPN senior writer Mike Clay has the Seahawks RBs ranked No. 4 in the league. That’s high praise for a group/team that finished fifth from the bottom of the league in rushing last season. 

On the flip side, Pro Football Focus analyst Trevor Sikkema wasn’t nearly as generous with his ranking of Seattle's backs, slotting them at No. 14.

“Kenneth Walker is one of the NFL's most boom-or-bust backs," writes Sikkema, "having recorded a missed tackles forced average above 0.20 but also a stuff percentage (rushes for no gain or a loss) above 20% in each of the past two seasons."

The analyst then highlighted the potential upside of the Seahawks position group.

"Despite the lower efficiency, Walker's positive reps are so good that he has earned PFF rushing grades above 84.0 in each of the past two years," Sikkema notes. "If he can stay healthy and cut down on the negatives, he can be a top-10 back and carry this group. Zach Charbonnet will slot in as RB2 after a solid rookie season in which he earned a 74.4 rushing grade."

Both rankings present a huge, predicted jump in production out of the RBs in Seattle. Surely, first-year head coach, Mike Macdonald will be happy falling anywhere between No. 4 and No. 14 in the NFL this fall, which would represent a drastic improvement over last season.

If the Seahawks can climb their way up into that range, a return to the postseason could be in their future. Last year, 10 of the top 14 rushing teams in the league made the playoffs.