Seattle Seahawks Continue To Makeover Their Running Game, Trade Christine Michael To Dallas
The Seattle Seahawks running back depth chart will look completely different this year behind starter Marshawn Lynch.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Seahawks have traded third-string running back Christine Michael to the Dallas Cowboys. The Seahawks will reportedly receive a conditional draft pick in return for the 24-year-old.
This is the third move the Seahawks, who led the NFL in rushing last season, have made to solidify their depth at running back in the past few days. Seattle signed veteran free agent Fred Jackson on Friday and placed Robert Turbin on injured reserve (ankle) on Saturday. Ian Rapport of the NFL Network initially reported that Turbin was going to be waived by the Seahawks, but the team ultimately decided against that, as he would have eventually been reverted back to Seattle if nobody claimed him. The Inquisitr claims the conditional draft pick is a seventh rounder.
#Seahawks RB Robert Turbin (ankle) to be waived with an injury designation, source said. He’s out for about 5 weeks. Will someone claim him?
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 5, 2015
Since Turbin was placed on IR, he will not be able to play this season. The 25-year-old had been Lynch’s main backup the past three seasons. He recorded 310 yards on 74 carries (4.2 yards per carry) to go along with 16 receptions last season.
That leaves Jackson and rookie Thomas Rawls to serve as Lynch’s backups.
Jackson, 35, has lost a step but is still a good running back who excels at catching passes out of the backfield. Jackson led the Buffalo Bills in rushing last year, garnering 525 yards and two touchdowns on 141 carries. He also snagged a team-high 66 receptions for 501 yards and six scores.
Rawls, in the meantime, will get his first taste of the NFL. The five-foot-nine Central Michigan product had an extremely solid preseason, rushing for 158 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries (5.3 yards per attempt). The 22-year-old also hauled in four receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown.
Michael would have likely been Seattle’s third string running back again this season had he not been dealt. The 2013 second round draft pick had played sparingly the past two seasons, appearing in just 14 games and rushing for 254 yards. He then averaged just 3.7 yards per carry on 32 attempts this preseason and did not catch a pass.
Michael’s best preseason performances this year came in the last two games. He ran for 37 yards on seven carries against the San Diego Chargers (Week 3) and then totaled 39 yards on eight attempts against the Oakland Raiders in the preseason finale.
With the move, Dallas now has four running backs and a fullback on their 53-man roster — Joe Randle, Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar, and Tyler Cutts, who is the fullback. Todd Archer of ESPN is reporting that the Cowboys plan on using a running back by committee, with Randle getting the majority of snaps. However, that could be complicated by his offseason arrest in Wichita, Kansas.
Can the Seahawks’ new additions help the team keep their title as the league’s top ground attack? Tell us what you think.
Last year, Seattle ran for 2,752 yards — 5.3 yards a carry 172.6 yards per game — and 20 touchdowns (all NFL season bests). The Seahawks also only lost two of their nine fumbles.
[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]
