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Seahawks Assign Rookie Jadarian Price a Heavy, Versatile Role That Could Include Kick Returns

Coaches say they will use Price across run schemes and the pass game which raises questions about exposing a first-round pick to the injury risk of kickoff returns.

Overview

  • Coach Mike Macdonald told reporters that Price will run wide zone, gap schemes and be involved in the passing game, signaling a high-volume, multi-scheme role for the rookie.
  • Macdonald also said “the kick return stuff, we’ll see how it shakes out,” and that Price will compete for special-teams duties rather than being promised a return job.
  • The expected workload is driven by roster changes, with Kenneth Walker gone in free agency and Zach Charbonnet recovering from a torn ACL, creating immediate opportunity for Price.
  • Analysts warn that assigning kickoff returns to a first-round running back is risky because kickoff plays are especially violent and recent rule changes have reduced and reshaped returns to lower injury rates.
  • Coverage of Price’s college return résumé differs across outlets—one report lists 22 returns for 794 yards and three TDs while another lists 12 returns for 450 yards and two TDs—and that discrepancy remains unresolved in current reporting.