Rashid Shaheed Could Play More RB For Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are trying to figure out how the running back position will look for the 2026 season.

The team has not found a true replacement for Kenneth Walker III, who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs during the offseason. Zach Charbonnet is a natural running back replacement for Walker, but he will be sidelined for the first part of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL.

The Seahawks signed George Holani and Emanuel Wilson for depth, but that might not be enough. The Seahawks are expected to look at potential prospects in the NFL draft that could contribute to the running back room, but rookies can be hit or miss. That's why the Seahawks need to invest more in using wide receiver Rashid Shaheed as a running back.

Shaheed Has Running Back Experience

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed runs the ball during the second half against the Minnesota Vikings. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

In his first four seasons in the league, Shaheed has run the ball 26 times for 192 yards and a touchdown. He gets a carry here or there every season, but he hasn't gotten legitimate snaps at the running back spot.

Putting Shaheed in the running back role is reminiscent of Deebo Samuel getting more carries with the San Francisco 49ers. Shaheed had 30 or more carries from 2021-24, and that piece of San Francisco's playbook could follow new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury to Seattle.

Last season, Shaheed had seven carries in the final nine games of the season for the Seahawks, so Seattle has used him in that spot before; however, he did not receive any carries in the NFC Championship or the Super Bowl that went for positive yardage.

The Seahawks paid Shaheed a lot of money to come back to the Seahawks, and you don't pay someone $17 million per season just to be the third-best wide receiver on the team. Not only is Shaheed a deep threat, but he's also a return specialist, and he is someone that can contribute to the running back committee that is going to need to anchor Seattle's offense next season.

He doesn't need to be a bell cow or someone that gets more than five to ten carries per game, but if he can line up in that role more often, it will give the Seahawks offense a ton of versatility and possibly the missing link it needs.

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