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Seahawks Offseason Profile: Travis Homer

Despite not receiving an offensive snap until Week 14, running back Travis Homer stepped up late in the season as Seattle lost three ball carriers to season-ending injuries. Entering his sophomore season, what's next for the explosive running back?

Thomas Hall

Seahawks Offseason Profile: Travis Homer
Seahawks Offseason Profile: Travis Homer /

After Seattle swapped fourth-round picks with Minnesota during the 2019 NFL Draft, the team also acquired a sixth-round selection in the deal, allowing them to eventually draft Miami running back Travis Homer.

Despite starting his rookie season behind teammates Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, and C.J. Prosise on the depth chart, a trio of season-ending injuries gave Homer an opportunity to become the lead back during the NFC West title game in Week 17 and play a key role in the playoffs as well. 

Let’s revisit some of the good and the bad from Homer’s rookie campaign, along with a prediction of how next season may play out for him as he’s set to enter his sophomore season.

What Went Right

Like all new members of the Seahawks, Homer was forced to earn playing time, but it didn’t take the 5-foot-10 running back very long to catch the attention of Seattle’s coaching staff.

Before the regular season began, the former Miami product showcased his explosive speed over three preseason games. In total, the 21-year old running back rushed 19 times for 85 yards, including his 27-yard rush during the final exhibition contest.

Following his impressive showing during the summer, Homer rightfully earned a spot on Seattle’s 53-man roster, commanding a role on their special teams unit. Furthermore, the young running back was also given the chance to return kickoffs as receiver Tyler Lockett recovered from a leg injury and flu symptoms.

Overall, the former Hurricane returned five kickoffs for 109 yards and recovered a pair of fumbles on special teams. In addition, he was also utilized during a fake punt attempt in Week 13 against the Vikings. On the play, Homer gained 29 yards and reached a top speed of 20.95 miles per hour, ranking him as the second-fastest ball carrier that week among all running backs in the league, according to Next-Gen-Stats.com.

Without question, Homer’s impressive performance through the first 13 games of the season gave coach Pete Carroll some confidence that he’d be able to thrive in an increased role during the final three games of the regular season.

During that span, Homer rushed 17 times for 85 yards, produced 32 yards after contact, and averaged five yards per carry. As a receiver, he caught 11 of his 13 targets (84.6 percent catch rate) for 56 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per reception. He also excelled in pass protection keeping blitzers away from Russell Wilson.

What Went Wrong

Despite Homer’s success during the last two weeks of the regular season, he failed to replicate that same production during Seattle’s playoff run.

During the postseason, the Florida native rushed 14 times for just 25 yards and nearly lost his own fumble against Philadelphia during the opening round of the playoffs, struggling to make yardage between the tackles behind an injury-battered offensive line.

Along with these disappointing results running the football, Homer also struggled to make an impact as a receiver through two playoff contests. In total, he received just four targets and caught three passes for 32 yards.

If you want to nitpick, you could also suggest that Homer prevented Seattle from scoring in the first half of their Week 17 matchup against San Francisco.

As a result of the rookie’s false start penalty, the Seahawks had just two plays to gain 15 yards for the first down. If not for the infraction, tight end Jacob Hollister’s nine-yard reception on second down would’ve placed the team just one yard short of the first down marker.

Instead, Homer’s penalty along with former Seahawk Germain Ifedi’s false start infraction ultimately led to the Seahawks’ demise on fourth down, allowing the 49ers to enter halftime with a 13-0 lead.

2020 Outlook

Heading into next season, Homer will be reunited with his former college teammate DeeJay Dallas in Seattle’s loaded backfield.

Since Penny is expected to begin the 2020 campaign on the PUP list, there’ll likely be an open competition for the third-down back role behind Carson this summer. Furthermore, there’s also a chance that Seattle could add a veteran ball carrier such as Marshawn Lynch to their running back room before training camp begins this summer.

In comparison to Homer’s rookie season, there have been 14 other running backs who earned 25 rushing attempts or fewer and produced at least 100 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards during their first season in the league.

Among the names listed above, Tyrone Anthony, Roland Hooks, Ernie Steele, Mercury Morris, and Bob Swisher were the only players able to record at least 100 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards during their second season in the league.

Based on this small sample size and the players in front of him on the depth chart, it could be difficult for Homer to take a big step in his development next season, especially if he fails to capture the backup role in a battle against Dallas.

With that said, Homer made a ton of progress late in his rookie season and the Seahawks are hopeful that he’ll be able to improve upon his 2019 production. Due to his pass pro and receiving skills, there’s a very good chance that he’ll be utilized in third-down situations until Penny fully recovers from his torn ACL and may still be a factor in that regard once Penny returns.

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Thomas Hall
THOMAS HALL

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