Seahawks Elevate RB George Holani to Suit Up at Cardinals

After a lengthy stint on the practice squad injured reserve, George Holani will play in his second regular season game for the Seahawks in Glendale.

Aug 10, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani (36) makes a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

With Ken Walker III ailing and uncertain to play with a pair of lower body injuries, the Seattle Seahawks elevated running back George Holani from the practice squad as additional backfield depth for Sunday's key rematch with the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Boise State, Holani impressed throughout training camp and the preseason with his hard-nosed running, pass-catching ability, and blocking prowess. He rushed 14 times for 66 yards and two touchdowns during exhibition play, but second-year back Kenny McIntosh beat him out for the third running back job and he was waived during final roster cuts before returning as a member of the practice squad.

When Walker missed a Week 2 road win over the Patriots with an oblique injury, Holani suited up for his NFL regular season debut and played six snaps on special teams for the Seahawks before exiting with an ankle injury. He wound up on the practice squad injured reserve before being activated and returning to practice two weeks ago.

Popping up on the injury report with new calf and ankle injuries coming out of last Sunday's road win over the Jets, Walker was a limited participant for the Seahawks on Wednesday before being downgraded to non-participant on Thursday and Friday. Coach Mike Macdonald didn't have any additional insight on the star back's status after Friday's session, but his update seemed ominous without any idea whether or not he would be able to play.

"Wish I could tell you, I just don't know right now.," Macdonald said of Walker. "We'll talk about plans in place on how we want to operate going into the weekend if we've got to make any moves, or if we want to take it up to the game on Sunday. We're just not sure right now."

If Walker can't go, Seattle will turn to second-year runner Zach Charbonnet as his replacement, earning his third start this season. The former UCLA standout rushed for 132 yards and three touchdowns in wins over New England and Miami, so he has proven himself capable of handling a bigger load as the workhorse back when necessary, while McIntosh would be next in line for snaps as a change of pace back.

As for Holani, the Seahawks have barely used a third back on offense during games this season and that likely won't change without another injury ahead of him, but the bruising runner could be an option for the team to utilize in the return game this week. After waiving receiver Laviska Shenault and cornerback Dee Williams this week, per Henderson, the rookie was seen catching punts from the JUGS machine prior to practice and he did return 12 punts in his college career at Boise State.

In an additional move, the Seahawks elevated punter Ty Zentner off the practice squad as a contingency plan with veteran Michael Dickson listed as questionable with back spasms. Cornerback Tre Brown was also added to the injury report on Saturday with a doubtful designation, likely meaning rookie Nehemiah Pritchett will be active in his place.

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