Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: RB DeeJay Dallas - Third-Down Role on Lockdown?

A tough-minded, versatile football player who has made his presence known on numerous special teams units and made positive contributions on offense when given the chance, DeeJay Dallas will have to fend off new competitors in the backfield with free agency looming.

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason activities wrapping up league-wide, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in less than two months, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, we'll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2023 campaign.

DeeJay Dallas, Running Back

Height/Weight: 5-10, 214 pounds

2022 Stats: 186 rushing yards, 17 receptions

Since joining the Seahawks as a fourth-round pick out of Miami in 2020, Dallas has never eclipsed 40 carries or 200 rushing yards in a season while starting only two games on offense. However, his rushing stats don't accurately portray his positive impact as an all-around contributor in a reserve role, as he has snagged 55 receptions for 370 yards, scored five total touchdowns, and registered 19 tackles and two forced fumbles on kick and punt coverage units on special teams. In addition, he has returned 45 kickoffs and 14 punts over the past two seasons, further demonstrating his versatility.

When pressed into duty in the backfield in 2022, Dallas displayed excellent contact balance and averaged north of three yards per carry after contact while forcing nine missed tackles according to Pro Football Focus. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, he will once again battle for snaps as a third down back while being a core special teams player.

Best-Case Scenario: Emerging as the best pass protecting back on the roster in the wake of Travis Homer's departure in free agency, Dallas edges Kenny McIntosh to win the third down back gig in training camp and sets new career-highs in rushing yards and receptions while also pitching in as a kick and punt returner on special teams.

Worst-Case Scenario: While still a productive asset for Seattle on kick and punt coverage units, Dallas loses out on snaps to Zach Charbonnet and McIntosh as camp and the preseason progress, limiting him exclusively to special teams aside from a handful of offensive snaps in games where teammates are nicked up with injuries.

What to Expect in 2023: When Dallas has been called upon to step into the lineup as an injury replacement over the past three years, he's been effective and displayed qualities of a starter-caliber back in some regards. Despite playing behind a struggling line, he rushed for two touchdowns in his first two career starts as a rookie and he posted an excellent 5.3 yards per carry average last season. In addition, he's provided juice in the passing game throughout his time with the Seahawks, catching at least 17 receptions each season.

However, with Charbonnet expected to rotate with starter Ken Walker III and McIntosh motivated to carve out his own role as a rookie in the third down department, Dallas will have to fight tooth and nail to earn snaps on offense. Still, due to the high attrition rate at the position, he should get his opportunities during the course of the season and even when he's not seeing much action on offense, he will remain one of the Seahawks most important special team cogs doing the dirty work making tackles on coverage teams and potentially in the mix as a return specialist.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Profiles

Montrae Braswell | John Hall | Bryant Koback | Cam Bright | Jacob Sykes | Benjie Franklin | Tyjon Lindsey | Austin Faoliu | Kendall Randolph | Ty Okada | Patrick O'Connell | Arquon Bush | Chris Stoll | MJ Anderson | Noah Gindorff | Christian Young | Jalen McKenzie | Griffin Hebert | Lance Boykin | Jonathan Sutherland | Easop Winston | Greg Eiland | Mo Osling III | Jake Bobo | James Campbell | Jonah Tavai | Joshua Onujiogu | Holton Ahlers | Joey Hunt | Tyler Mabry | Isaiah Dunn | Tyreke Smith | Cody Thompson | Vi Jones | Cade Johnson | Joey Blount | Matt Landers | Jon Rhattigan | Alton Robinson | Artie Burns | Jake Curhan | Jerrick Reed II | Stone Forsythe | Mike Morris | Myles Adams | Dareke Young

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