Seahawks sign RB Emanuel Wilson

[LeveeBreak]

Not sure what the rest of you are seeing and with the comments. Dude ran a 4.57 40 which is slower than the 4.49 average, so yes he is slow. None of the "highlights" did he actually do anything besides hit the hole that was there. No wiggle, no downfield vision. His long last year was 15 yards. That is not a sign of a good running back. Sure he got through the hole for 4 or 5 yards and got tackled. Shouldnt any running back in the league be able to do this? That shouldnt be a highlight reel. Theres a reason he went to fort valley state, theres a reason hes only 2 million a year. Love how people mocked Walkers production and how he can only be a split back but are praising this guy for gaining 1,000 yards in 3 seasons. Walker had more highlights in any single playoff game than this guy has in his career. Not saying the contract value difference shouldnt be factored in but if your looking at pure production only and looking to replace what they lost for a chance to repeat theres no chance this guy can carry that load. I can guarantee by week 3 or 4 all will be crying about how good the offense could be if we only had a running game. Then JS will have to make a midseason trade to get someone.

Not that they always get the drafts prospects right but there are spot on so far. Bottom of the roster candidate, hes been just that.

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Now, if this is just a stab in the dark and tryout spot then thats fine. Maybe the big plan is to get someone after roster cuts, to make a trade, or to hit in the draft. That would all be fine. But if this is expected to be the guy they are in trouble. And note, ive been a big fan of everything else they have done in free agency to this point.

I’m gonna guess you like K9 and aren’t thrilled we let him walk. Did I get that right?

 

[classicaaron]

I’m gonna guess you like K9 and aren’t thrilled we let him walk. Did I get that right?

i actually am not the biggest fan of him. i do think he was the prototypical play your best right as your contract is up type of guy. i was mad as everyone else for how much he danced around early in the season. and i dont think his playoff run will be duplicated next season. but he is a 1000 yards a year type of guy and Wilson is most definitely not. im just not going to be a homer and say every signing is good. i do think keeping Walker was the best option for this season. If Zach was healthy that would have been a different story. But im more confident with any of the current running backs on the roster over Wilson and i dont think any of those guys are good enough for a championship team. Again, if this is just a roster spot thats fine. if this is meant to be the guy, yikes.

 

[Sonichound16]

I am definitely a homer but feel like I am pretty objective when it comes to our signings. I was a huge Walker fan simply for the fact that he could break it on any play(his is my most recent jersey and it is signed so now I need to retire that next to my Wilson jersey). A lot of his dancing for the past few years is in part attributed to how quickly he was getting hit in the backfield. Not sure that moving to KC is going to help improve that with their OL. I totally agree with the take that he played his best leading up to his contract year and voiced that same thing to my friends once Charbs got hurt and K9 started going off. How often did we see him limited or missing games due to some tweak that he may have pushed through this year? He was working for that next contract. You aren't going to replace him without affecting the ability to build the rest of the team. That being said, I still think Wilson is a great signing for what our offense needed and was made without affecting our cap flexibility or future draft capital.

 

[onanygivensunday]

For those of you who are okay with George Holani as the backup, Emanuel Wilson has 10x the snaps under his belt than does George... with 1083 career rushing yards in 3 years (Holani... only 88 in 2 years)... and weighs 15 lb. more than Holani... while both measure 5'10".

I'm absolutely okay with Wilson competing for playing time. His presence in OTAs and TC should push our other RBs competing for RB2 and RB3.

At this point, I'm confident that John will be drafting a RB this year... perhaps in the 2nd round, which he tends to favor for that position.

 

[FrodosFinger]

theres a reason hes only 2 million a year.

Yes because running backs are the highest paid position group in the league. Wake up man Wilson is a proven back. You want give a running back $30 mil guaranteed? I certainly don’t. I prefer my running backs on a rookie contract. Wilson is 4 yards and a cloud of dust and he’ll be utilized to the utmost in this system. Guaranteed John drafts another running back but Wilson was one of the better backs in free agency this year. Glad we got him

 

[BASF]

I think people overrate Seattle as a free agent destination.

 

[Smellyman]

this is a good thread to bookmark. A lot of experts and fanbois throughout

 

[LeveeBreak]

i actually am not the biggest fan of him. i do think he was the prototypical play your best right as your contract is up type of guy. i was mad as everyone else for how much he danced around early in the season. and i dont think his playoff run will be duplicated next season. but he is a 1000 yards a year type of guy and Wilson is most definitely not. im just not going to be a homer and say every signing is good. i do think keeping Walker was the best option for this season. If Zach was healthy that would have been a different story. But im more confident with any of the current running backs on the roster over Wilson and i dont think any of those guys are good enough for a championship team. Again, if this is just a roster spot thats fine. if this is meant to be the guy, yikes.

ok...so let's break down your stream of consciousness...

"Not sure what the rest of you are seeing and with the comments."
"None of the "highlights" did he actually do anything besides hit the hole that was there. No wiggle, no downfield vision."
Did you watch? I don't think wiggle is his thing (not Charbs either). He doesn't go down easy, made a LB look silly, and had a couple of impressive screens. That's what I saw. He might have a slow 40, but he showed some wheels in the highlights.

"Dude ran a 4.57 40 which is slower than the 4.49 average, so yes he is slow."
Le'Veon Bell (4.60), Kareem Hunt (4.62), Arian Foster (4.69), and Charbs (4.53).
I'm not saying he will be as good as any of these guys...but not saying he won't be either.

"His long last year was 15 yards. That is not a sign of a good running back."
To be fair, his longest run as a pro was 31 yds. His 4.5 yds/carry is above league avg and a better stat to evaluate production.

"Theres a reason he went to fort valley state."
ahhh...small schools. Jerry Rice and Dave Kreig would like to have a word.

"Theres a reason hes only 2 million a year."
Correct. He was a backup in a crowded RB room with bigger names and more dead $$ who saw the glaring opportunity in Seattle.

"Love how people mocked Walkers production and how he can only be a split back but are praising this guy for gaining 1,000 yards in 3 seasons."
Others "mocked" while you just get "mad" about Walker.

"I can guarantee by week 3 or 4 all will be crying about how good the offense could be if we only had a running game. Then JS will have to make a midseason trade to get someone."
Awesome, 1st prognostical guarantee of the season. Last year, it was the OL, then they all went into hiding by week 10 or so. Maybe RB is this year's trend and you can claim provenance. Let's revisit in week 4. These predictions rarely end well.

"Not that they always get the drafts prospects right but there are spot on so far. Bottom of the roster candidate, hes been just that."
Have you visited Packer fan sites? Most if not all posts said they would like him back. Not bad performance from the bottom of GB's roster when Jacobs went down:

• Standout Performance: In Week 11 of 2025, filling in for an injured Jacobs, Wilson carried the ball 28 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns, marking his first career 100-yard game in a 23-6 win against Minnesota.
• High Workload: Following a Week 10 injury to Jacobs, Wilson took over, out-snapping teammate Chris Brooks 39-5 and handling nearly all the running back workload.
• Reliability: In addition to his rushing success, Wilson earned praise for his pass protection, including picking up elite pass rushers to protect quarterback Jordan Love.
• Efficiency: During the 2025 season, Wilson showed high efficiency in his expanded role, sustaining a strong yards-per-carry average (4.5 in some reports) as a primary backup.

Maybe we see what the kid can do before we tie him to a post and light a fire.

 

[Grahamhawker]

I think people way overrate Tyler Allgeier.

Allgeier put up a 4.6 forty. And he's ~10 pounds lighter than Wilson.
He also averaged 3.6 ypc last year and his metrics took a big dive.

And he would cost 10M more and a comp pick?

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Im not impressed at all. Way too slow. This seems like pure desperation to me. Hopefully the draft produces because this aint it

 

[SoulfishHawk]

ok...so let's break down your stream of consciousness...

"Not sure what the rest of you are seeing and with the comments."
"None of the "highlights" did he actually do anything besides hit the hole that was there. No wiggle, no downfield vision."
Did you watch? I don't think wiggle is his thing (not Charbs either). He doesn't go down easy, made a LB look silly, and had a couple of impressive screens. That's what I saw. He might have a slow 40, but he showed some wheels in the highlights.

"Dude ran a 4.57 40 which is slower than the 4.49 average, so yes he is slow."
Le'Veon Bell (4.60), Kareem Hunt (4.62), Arian Foster (4.69), and Charbs (4.53).
I'm not saying he will be as good as any of these guys...but not saying he won't be either.

"His long last year was 15 yards. That is not a sign of a good running back."
To be fair, his longest run as a pro was 31 yds. His 4.5 yds/carry is above league avg and a better stat to evaluate production.

"Theres a reason he went to fort valley state."
ahhh...small schools. Jerry Rice and Dave Kreig would like to have a word.

"Theres a reason hes only 2 million a year."
Correct. He was a backup in a crowded RB room with bigger names and more dead $$ who saw the glaring opportunity in Seattle.

"Love how people mocked Walkers production and how he can only be a split back but are praising this guy for gaining 1,000 yards in 3 seasons."
Others "mocked" while you just get "mad" about Walker.

"I can guarantee by week 3 or 4 all will be crying about how good the offense could be if we only had a running game. Then JS will have to make a midseason trade to get someone."
Awesome, 1st prognostical guarantee of the season. Last year, it was the OL, then they all went into hiding by week 10 or so. Maybe RB is this year's trend and you can claim provenance. Let's revisit in week 4. These predictions rarely end well.

"Not that they always get the drafts prospects right but there are spot on so far. Bottom of the roster candidate, hes been just that."
Have you visited Packer fan sites? Most if not all posts said they would like him back. Not bad performance from the bottom of GB's roster when Jacobs went down:

• Standout Performance: In Week 11 of 2025, filling in for an injured Jacobs, Wilson carried the ball 28 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns, marking his first career 100-yard game in a 23-6 win against Minnesota.
• High Workload: Following a Week 10 injury to Jacobs, Wilson took over, out-snapping teammate Chris Brooks 39-5 and handling nearly all the running back workload.
• Reliability: In addition to his rushing success, Wilson earned praise for his pass protection, including picking up elite pass rushers to protect quarterback Jordan Love.
• Efficiency: During the 2025 season, Wilson showed high efficiency in his expanded role, sustaining a strong yards-per-carry average (4.5 in some reports) as a primary backup.

Maybe we see what the kid can do before we tie him to a post and light a fire.

Owned. Nicely done

 

[bileever]

Wilson wasn't signed to be RB1, he's was acquired for depth and he'll have to compete for playing time. How much he plays will depend on who else is in the running back room come training camp.

That being said, Wilson has made the most of his opportunities to play in Green Bay, and done pretty well. His running style is more Charbonnet than Walker, and maybe he'll play in Zach's spot until he's fully recovered.

The Packers had a tough decision to make, and they apparently chose the back who hasn't been as good but is better at pass protection. And maybe they didn't think Wilson would be signed by another team.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

It's a trip how some people become instant experts on every player from other teams

 

[hox]

Great pickup…fits the play style we are trying to run and a placeholder till Charbs gets back. I really think they are targeting Jadarian Price either with their #32 or trade back if they can and still get him. Similar traits to K9 at a fraction of the cost.

Umm no. Dude looks slow, like TJ Duckett slow, and won't break outside contain the way K9 consistently did for us...

 

[CouchLogic]

TLDR; Fantasy football nerd screams at wall.

 

[Glasgow Seahawk]

At least until Charbonnet is back there is going to be one hell of a competition. Wilson, Holani, McIntosh, Jacardia Wright, Velus Jones, Akers and who knows if they draft someone too. Many have flashed at points and it's a matter of if they can handle more reps or coming back from injury.

Even if Charbonnet comes back and is firing right away there is significant competition for RB2. The team showed last year they aren't afraid to spread the carries.

 

[Jac]

I can guarantee by week 3 or 4 all will be crying about how good the offense could be if we only had a running game. Then JS will have to make a midseason trade to get someone.

Now, if this is just a stab in the dark and tryout spot then thats fine. Maybe the big plan is to get someone after roster cuts, to make a trade, or to hit in the draft. That would all be fine. But if this is expected to be the guy they are in trouble. And note, ive been a big fan of everything else they have done in free agency to this point.

To be fair, we were all crying about needing a run game after week 3 this year as well. This is an MVS-type signing. I.e., he's a guy they're adding to the room, they'll see what he can do, but I can guarantee that JS/MM aren't done at the position yet. They're fanatically committed to the run game after all.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Let's give the kid a chance before we bust out the pitchforks? Just a thought.

 

[classicaaron]

It's a trip how some people become instant experts on every player from other teams

so basically saying your right and there wrong doesnt somehow make you the expert? just checking. take the opinion for whats its worth. theres a reason he was like the 50th choice.

 

[classicaaron]

Yes because running backs are the highest paid position group in the league. Wake up man Wilson is a proven back. You want give a running back $30 mil guaranteed? I certainly don’t. I prefer my running backs on a rookie contract. Wilson is 4 yards and a cloud of dust and he’ll be utilized to the utmost in this system. Guaranteed John drafts another running back but Wilson was one of the better backs in free agency this year. Glad we got him

i didnt know a proven back only needed a 1000 yards in 3 years and played as a back up. hope they start sizing his gold jacket up