Only two Seattle rookies took the field on Sunday against the Chargers, accounting for just 25 offensive and defensive snaps in a game where the Seahawks ran 60 offensive plays and 59 defensive snaps. Seriously, what is even going on? The state of our 2026 rookie class is becoming increasingly unusual, and honestly, it’s frustrating to watch.
Our Rookies Are Disappearing, And Price’s Return Is A Big Question Mark
Jadarian Price, our primary rookie running back who was carving out a meaningful role early in the season, is now on injured reserve with a chest injury. He missed the Chargers game, and with him sidelined, Emanuel Wilson and George Holani are handling most of the backfield workload. The timing for Price is just brutal. He was coming off a tough Week 3 against Washington, where his second lost fumble in three games drastically cut his playing time. Right when we needed him to respond, he’s watching from the sideline. The good news is Price showed serious explosiveness early on, proving why we had high expectations. The problem? He’s gotta earn that role back when he returns, and who knows how different our backfield rotation will look by then.
Then there’s Bud Clark, our safety, who’s still stuck on injured reserve. And Avery Smith was inactive again. It really feels like this class is getting hit hard by the injury bug and just can’t get on the field. Price was our best chance at immediate impact, and he’s out. Clark is still out. We need these guys.
Stephens’ Struggles and Neal’s Special Teams Grind
The only rookie consistently seeing offensive snaps is Beau Stephens, and even he had a rough one against the Chargers. Our fifth-round pick played 25 of Seattle’s 60 offensive snaps, continuing to rotate with Christian Haynes, who logged 35 snaps at right guard. This was easily Stephens’ roughest performance of the season so far. He tried to execute a pull, and let’s just say it didn’t go according to plan. We need him to get back to form if he’s going to solidify that rotation spot.
Julian Neal, our third-round cornerback, didn’t play a single defensive snap against the Chargers, repeating what happened against Washington. That’s zero defensive snaps in back-to-back games for a third-round pick! He did get 23 special teams snaps, which is nine more than he played against the Commanders, but he also got flagged for illegal use of the hands. Right now, special teams is his only path onto the field. The big question is whether he can turn those opportunities into actual defensive playing time.
Our rookie class accounted for just 25 combined offensive and defensive snaps on Sunday. We need to see if Stephens can bounce back, if Neal can finally crack the defensive rotation, and when , and how , Price can fight his way back into a meaningful role. This is the Emerald City, and we expect our young guys to step up.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
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