The Seattle Seahawks made a series of roster moves on Tuesday, and among them was cutting rookie running back Damien Martinez.
The Seahawks selected Martinez in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, and with there actually being some uncertainty in Seattle’s backfield, some felt that the University of Miami product could contribute in 2025.
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Instead, the Seahawks parted ways with Martinez, instead opting to keep three halfbacks: Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet and George Holani.
With Walker coming off of a very rough 2024 campaign and battling persistent injury issues, releasing Martinez may have been a big mistake.
Martinez racked up 1,002 yards and 10 touchdowns on 6.3 yards per carry last season, and in his first couple of collegiate campaigns at Oregon State, he logged 6.1 yards per attempt both times and totaled 982 and 1,185 yards, respectively.
The 21-year-old flashed significant potential on the NCAA level, and it seems hard to imagine him not finding a role somewhere in the NFL.
It won’t be in Seattle, though, and that could have been a major mistake on the part of the Seahawks.
Walker is not an inspiring featured back at this point of his career. He registered 573 yards on 3.7 yards per tote in 11 games last season, and the year prior, he managed just 4.1 yards per carry.
Yes, the Michigan State alum was very impressive during his rookie campaign in 2022, but he has steadily declined ever since, and with just one year left on his contract, it’s entirely possible that 2025 could be Walker’s final season in the Pacific Northwest.
That’s why makes Seattle’s decision to part ways with Martinez that much more befuddling. Charbonnet does seem ready to potentially take over as the No. 1 back if and when Walker departs, but wouldn’t it have been nice to have some backfield competition?
Perhaps the Seahawks are just incredibly confident in Holani, who did put together a very impressive preseason showing. But Martinez flew under the radar at both Oregon State and Miami and was an underrated prospect heading into the draft.
Seattle nabbed what should have been a steal in the Lewisville, Tx. native back in April, but the Seahawks blew it by handing him his walking papers.
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Martinez will almost certainly land somewhere, and he may very well come back to bite Seattle a couple of years from now.
The Seahawks will open up their regular season against the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday.
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