Is George Holani the favorite to start at RB for Seahawks Week 1?

According to Brady Henderson, Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani was given the first opportunity to take reps with the first-string offense during OTAs on Wednesday. The national, fantasy football, and Seahawks’ media spaces have been buzzing about first-round draft choice Jadarian Price’s ability to make an immediate impact, but could the hype be getting ahead of itself? The evidence points to this being the case, but the Price believers aren’t fully wrong, either.

Price doesn’t need to start Week 1 for the Seahawks to call him a success. In past years, highly drafted running backs don’t usually burst onto the scene, especially smaller and more explosive ones. Take TreVeyon Henderson and the New England Patriots as an example that played out just last season.

Henderson came in as the 38th overall pick as a national champion from Ohio State and a four-year starter for a blue-blood program. He made his mark late in the year and came on strong in the second half to add an element to a winning team, but had a steep learning curve for half the season. His pass blocking, which was elite in college, translated especially poorly to the NFL at first. He struggled to find rhythm in the pass catching game. When he couldn’t immediately get an explosive play off, the other elements of his game didn’t settle in either.

Even most early first-rounders have struggled at first. Bijan Robinson began in a timeshare and Ashton Jeanty had a forgettable rookie season. Jahmyr Gibbs started by splitting carries with David Montgomery, and despite the production coming almost instantly, eased into a bigger role over time. Even Kenneth Walker III had a poor start to the 2025 season and was strictly in a committee with Zach Charbonnet based on what the game called for.

The lesson to be learned? Rookie running backs start out slow, but can take over quickly. In the same offense as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, Cooper Kupp, AJ Barner, Tory Horton Jr., Elijah Arroyo, and others- there are plenty of mouths to feed, and the team must function for the best outcome rather than prioritize individual success. When results like JSN’s 2025 Offensive Player Of The Year Campaign authentically follow, the foundation is that much stronger.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks first-team offense at OTAs has George Holani at running back