When the Seahawks’ final injury report, released Saturday, had both running back Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price cleared of any designation for Monday night’s game against the Bears, it gave the impression that both will play.
Not so fast.
Charbonnet, who has been activated from the physically unable to perform list, is good to go — unless he’s a healthy scratch, for some reason. Price remains on injured reserve due to the chest injury he suffered in Week 3.
“We have a plan for Zach and with JD,” coach Mike Macdonald told reporters Saturday, “if we were to make a move, it would be Monday as far as I know. We’ll see if that’s what we do. We’ve got some things on the list that we’re working on right now, but we have a plan for Zach.”
Asked later about Price not yet being IR activated, Macdonald said, “We’ll let the transaction speak for itself on that one.”
Vague comments from Macdonald have prompted some to speculate that the Seahawks are trying to trade for Colts defensive end Jonathan Taylor. The most likely explanation is that Macdonald knows that activating Price will require cutting a player currently on the team.
It will most likely put one of the running backs at risk. Beyond Charbonnet, the Seahawks have Emanuel Wilson (who rushed for 100 yards in the Week 7 win over the Chiefs), George Holani, Velus Jones Jr. and Robert Henry Jr. in the active list.
Henry was inactive last week. Jones had nine offensive snaps and nine special teams tackles. One of those two will likely get the short straw if/when the Seahawks activate Price on Monday.
With Charbonnet and Price healthy, the Seahawks suddenly have a lot of quality options. They will likely be cautious with Charbonnet, who tore an ACL in January. Price had 52 yards rushing in each of the first two games of the season before suffering his injury in Washington.
Regardless, Price remains on IR and shouldn’t be back on the roster for at least another two weeks. They’ll probably decide to let him go for now, with Wilson, Charbonnet, Holani, Jones and Henry as backups on the 53-man roster.
