The Seattle Seahawks have made a surprising change to their backfield ahead of their Week 10 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. Emanuel Wilson, who led the team in rushing during much of the first half of the 2026 NFL season, was among Seattle’s seven inactive players on Sunday, November 15.
Wilson is a healthy scratch: he did not appear on the Seahawks’ final injury report. The decision comes three weeks after he rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. With Zach Charbonnet, Jadarian Price and George Holani available, Wilson’s absence adds another turn to Seattle’s evolving running back competition.
## Wilson Goes From Leading Rusher to Inactive
Wilson stepped up while injuries sidelined other Seattle running backs. Through the team’s first seven games, he recorded 403 rushing yards and three touchdowns, leading the Seahawks in both categories.
His standout performance came on October 25, when he carried the ball 24 times for 100 yards and a touchdown in Seattle’s win over Kansas City. On November 12, the Seahawks named him their Top Newcomer in a midseason awards feature.
Seattle’s backfield changed when Charbonnet made his season debut against the Chicago Bears on November 2 after recovering from an ACL injury. Price, the Seahawks’ first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, also returned in that game after being placed on injured reserve with a chest injury.
Wilson played no offensive snaps against Chicago and did not appear on offense or special teams against Arizona. His inactive status against Las Vegas is the clearest sign yet that he has fallen behind the other backs in Seattle’s current rotation.
## Who Could Lead Seattle’s Backfield Against Las Vegas?
With Wilson inactive, Charbonnet, Price and Holani are Seattle’s available running backs. The team’s depth chart lists Charbonnet first, followed by Price, Wilson and Holani, making Charbonnet the nominal starter. However, the depth chart does not determine which player will receive the most carries.
Charbonnet rushed for a career-high 730 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2025 before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Price joined Seattle as its first-round selection in the 2026 draft. Their returns in Week 8 created a more crowded backfield after Wilson had handled much of the workload.
Entering Sunday’s game, Wilson still led the Seahawks with 111 rushing attempts and 403 yards. Price had 47 carries for 172 yards, Holani had 37 for 117 yards, and Charbonnet had 22 for 100 yards. Those totals reflect Wilson’s earlier role, though, and may not indicate Seattle’s plans for the current rotation.
The Seahawks also have several key absences against Las Vegas: quarterback Sam Darnold, left tackle Charles Cross and guard Quenton Nelson are sidelined. Drew Lock is set to make his second consecutive start, adding to the importance of Seattle’s ground game.
The main question is whether Charbonnet has reclaimed the lead role or whether Price will earn a larger share of the offense. Whatever the workload split, Wilson’s healthy scratch underscores how quickly Seattle’s running back situation has changed.
