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Running Back Watch
The Dolphins Said No To Achane Trades. Seattle’s Backfield Answer Is Now In The Draft Room.
For about 48 hours, the Seahawks internet was living its best life. Miami traded Jaylen Waddle to Denver for a first-rounder and change, the Dolphins looked like they were firesaling every asset not bolted to the floor, and suddenly De’Von Achane to Seattle was the hottest hypothetical in the Pacific Northwest.
Then Adam Schefter went and ruined it. ESPN’s top insider reported Tuesday that teams calling Miami about Achane have been told he is not available. Full stop. The Dolphins apparently want to extend their Pro Bowl back, not ship him off. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s two straight weeks of Seahawks fans falling in love with a running back they were never going to get.
The fit was always tantalizing. Achane rushed for 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns last season, caught 67 passes for 488 yards and four more scores, and led the NFL in yards per carry at 5.7. He’s 24 and explosive in a way nobody currently on Seattle’s roster is. Brock Huard called out the backfield earlier this week, saying the room has “tractors” but no “Mustang” or “Ferrari.” Achane is a Ferrari with a turbocharger.
But the Dolphins said no, and Schneider has to build this thing with what’s available. That means the draft. Washington’s Jonah Coleman visited the VMAC this week, becoming the first running back prospect to make the trip. Coleman posted 1,811 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns in college. Daniel Jeremiah mocked Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price to Seattle at 32. The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar confirmed a draft pick will be spent on the position.
1,811
Jonah Coleman posted 1,811 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns in college, becoming the first running back prospect to visit the VMAC.
Emanuel Wilson is in the building. George Holani signed his tender. Charbonnet is rehabbing. But the featured back of Seattle’s 2026 offense is probably on a college campus right now, and Schneider’s four precious draft picks just got a little more interesting.
SOURCES →
Replacement Refs
The NFL Is Preparing For Replacement Referees. The Fail Mary City Has Thoughts.
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ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported Wednesday that the NFL is laying groundwork to hire replacement officials if a new CBA with the NFL Referees Association isn’t reached by the end of May. The league is building a list of roughly 150 small-college officials by this weekend, with onboarding potentially starting in April and a four-day clinic planned for May. If no deal is done, these officials would train through the summer and work training camps.
You know how this story ends, because Seahawks fans lived through the prologue. The last time the NFL used replacement refs was 2012, a 110-day lockout that ended after three weeks of chaos culminating in the Fail Mary. Golden Tate. M.D. Jennings. Simultaneous possession. One ref signaling touchdown, one signaling touchback. The Seahawks won 14-12, the internet exploded, and the real refs were back by that weekend.
NFLRA executive director Scott Green told ESPN he’s “surprised they would even consider it after 2012.” Pat McAfee was less diplomatic, saying the league can’t be bringing in “replacement high school refs” again. The gambling angle makes this even spicier: Green flagged concerns about unvetted officials working NFL games in an era of legalized sports betting.
The Seahawks technically benefited from the last ref lockout. They might be the only franchise in football that has complicated feelings about this.
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The Seahawks technically benefited from the last ref lockout. They might be the only franchise in football that has complicated feelings about this.
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Draft Intel
Mel Kiper Mocks Tennessee CB Colton Hood To Seattle At 32. The Seahawks Are Already Interviewing Corners.
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The reasoning is sound, even if you don’t trust mock drafts in March. Tariq Woolen is in Philadelphia. Coby Bryant is in Chicago. The Seahawks’ CB room is Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe, Tre’Shon Pritchett, Shemar Jean-Charles, and a former first-rounder in Igbinoghene whose career arc looks like a rollercoaster that only goes down. They need a young outside corner who can play right away.
Hood broke up 10 passes in 2025 at Tennessee and allowed just one touchdown pass in his college career. Kiper says he “fits perfectly with the Mike Macdonald defense as a cornerback with length and decent speed.” The Seahawks are also already hosting cornerback prospects for Top 30 visits: San Diego State’s Chris Johnson and Auburn’s Andre Fuller have both met or are scheduled to meet with Seattle. Johnson ran a 4.40 at the combine with a 38-inch vertical.
4.40
CB prospect Chris Johnson ran a 4.40 at the combine with a 38-inch vertical, and he’s already scheduled to meet with Seattle.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks met with Washington running back Jonah Coleman at his pro day, edge rusher Keyron Crawford (Auburn) had a formal combine meeting with Seattle, and the draft board is clearly taking shape. Four picks. A league-low. Every swing counts.
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AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
The Seahawks re-signed wide receiver Cody White on Wednesday. White scored his first NFL touchdown on a 60-yard catch-and-run against Washington before a groin injury ended his season in Week 17. With Dareke Young now in Las Vegas, White is in the mix for the WR5/6 slot. The Seahawks’ free agent accounting is now essentially complete, which means we’re officially in the “stare at the draft board until April” phase. Field Gulls
The Greenard trade saga enters week three. Jordan Schultz said the Vikings are “trying to trade him,” the Eagles are still leading the pursuit per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, and Sauce Gardner publicly tweeted at Greenard to recruit him to the Colts. Indianapolis doesn’t have a first or second-round pick. Recruiting via Twitter when you can’t afford the cover charge is a bold strategy. Heavy
Aaron Rodgers is still a free agent. The Steelers “truly don’t know” what he’ll decide, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Rodgers said on Pat McAfee there’s “no contract offer or anything” and he’s “enjoying my time with my wife.” Steelers legend Rod Woodson says they need to “move forward.” This is the Aaron Rodgers retirement content cycle, third verse, same as the first. Heavy
The Super Bowl documentary is now live on Roku and it’s free. The 75-minute film features what NFL Films calls “the largest compilation of player and coach wired sound” ever assembled for a championship documentary. Jeffrey Dean Morgan narrates. You have zero excuses not to have watched it by now. If you haven’t, close this newsletter and go. We’ll be here when you get back. Seattle Sports
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
The Rams and 49ers are playing the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Australia on September 10. In Melbourne. On a Thursday. Which means the Seahawks get the opener on Wednesday night, and two of their biggest rivals have to deal with a 15-hour flight, an 18-hour time zone difference, and the possibility that a kangaroo interferes with a field goal. CBS Sports noted the game would kick off around 10 a.m. Friday in Melbourne, which is 8:20 p.m. Thursday on the East Coast. Meanwhile, the Rams still haven’t extended Puka Nacua, Davante Adams’ $6 million roster bonus already vested locking him into 2026, and the A.J. Brown trade fell apart. The NFC West’s second-best team is going to start its season on the other side of the planet. You love to see it.
NINERS
The 49ers signed Christian Kirk to a one-year, $6 million deal, adding him to a receiver room that features 32-year-old Mike Evans (eight games in 2025), Ricky Pearsall, and the still-smoldering wreckage of the Brandon Aiyuk situation. The 49ers also get to open their season in Melbourne, which is nice because at least they’ll have a built-in excuse when they start 0-1 again. They finished 2025 with a league-low 20 sacks and their big defensive addition this offseason was bringing back Dre Greenlaw off an Achilles tear. Nick Bosa is recovering from a torn ACL. The vibes in Santa Clara are immaculate if you’re a Seahawks fan.
CARDINALS
The Cardinals’ quarterback room is Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew. Their theoretical backup plan is a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers who said on Pat McAfee that there’s “no contract offer or anything” from anyone and he’s “enjoying my time with my wife.” NBC Sports’ Mike Florio says Arizona is the only non-Pittsburgh option left for Rodgers, thanks to OC Nathaniel Hackett. SI on Cardinals said a 2026 season is “rapidly projecting like it could be a repeat of 2025.” The Cardinals’ plan for competing in the NFC West is apparently just vibes, a Hail Mary for a Hall of Famer’s retirement tour, and the hope that Arch Manning is available in 2027.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
Sam Darnold won Super Bowl LX in his first season with the Seahawks, but he was far from Seattle’s first choice at quarterback for 2025. Before signing Darnold, the Seahawks traded their incumbent starter to the Las Vegas Raiders as part of the team’s offseason overhaul. Who was that traded quarterback?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
Geno Smith. The Seahawks traded Geno Smith to the Raiders ahead of the 2025 season, clearing the way for Sam Darnold to sign his three-year, $100.5 million deal with Seattle.
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Go Hawks. Do your homework, Schneider. — The Rooster