The Seattle Seahawks concluded joint practices with the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday and Thursday. Due to the physical nature of those padded sessions, head coach Mike Macdonald has confirmed that very few (or even none) starters will play in the preseason game on Saturday. Starting running back Kenneth Walker III is one of the studs expected to sit.
Backup ball carrier Zach Charbonnet missed both practices with the Titans with a minor injury and will almost certainly miss Saturday’s exhibition contest. That should place increased emphasis on the ongoing position battle between Kenny McIntosh and George Holani to be the team’s No. 3 back.
McIntosh, a sophomore seventh-round pick, entered camp as the slight favorite. Seahawks general manager John Schneider liked Holani, who he notably offered $115,000 in guaranteed salary during undrafted free agency. McIntosh and Holani have been entrenched in a battle ever since.
McIntosh rushed for a team-high 40 yards in the preseason Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. McIntosh averaged five yards per carry via eight opportunities. Holani was impressive in his own right, rushing for 24 yards and a touchdown on six carries. Holani’s score was an impressive 11 yard scamper.
One interesting RB note today, while George Holani worked as the backup with the ones the last two days, when the number one offense conducted its final two-minute drill today, Kenny McIntosh was the RB. So it appears McIntosh definitely still in running for that role.
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) August 15, 2024
Mike Macdonald and his coaching staff have consistently shuffled the order. In Wednesday’s practice, Holani consistently worked with the first-team offense alongside Walker at running back, according to Bob Condotta. That theme generally continued at Thursday’s session, with one notable change. When the offense conducted it’s final two-minute drill, McIntosh entered at running back, per Condotta.
The Seahawks are encouraged by their running back depth. Competition has helped develop both McIntosh and Holani. The battle could be settled this weekend. McIntosh and Holani are unlikely to receive better opportunities than Saturday’s preseason contest will represent to convince the coaching staff they deserve the 53-man roster spot.
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