Marshawn Lynch remains comfortably atop the Seattle Seahawks running back depth chart thanks to a brand new three year, $31 million contract signed in March. Beyond the Seahawks bruising Pro Bowler though, questions abound where Seattle's ballcarriers are concerned.
The general consensus had been that Christine Michael was likely to start seeing some significant snaps behind Lynch next season and that Robert Turbin, who missed much of the team's offseason workouts after undergoing hip surgery, would round out the trifecta of runners for Pete Carroll's group.
Except that may not be the case and Michael, a former second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, may actually be in a fight for his professional and Seahawk life during this summer's training camp thanks to the impression already made by recent addition Thomas Rawls.
"It's 'step up or step out' time for Michael, now beginning his third season," writes Terry Blount of ESPN. "The Seattle coaches are high on Rawls, a free agent rookie from Central Michigan who started his college career at the University of Michigan. Pete Carroll loves Rawls' toughness, seeing him as a bruising runner similar to Lynch.
"That's not good news for Michael. He needs to do everything right in camp or he might find his days in Seattle have ended. Maybe the Seahawks could trade him for a late-round pick if they decide Rawls is the better option."
Rawls, 5-foot-9, 215-pounds, is a compact runner with a competitiveness and power that goes well beyond his size and draft status.
"Compact, powerful running back who runs just as powerfully on his 35th carry (back-to-back games of 40 carries) as he does to start the game," writes NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. "While he finishes with brute force, he possesses the vision and lateral movement of a finesse runner. He is more than capable of handling a starter's workload in the NFL, and had Purdue's safeties ready to tap out by the end of that game last season. His character must be vetted carefully, but the tools and the talent are those of a league starter."
Rawls was a late-round target heading into the 2015 NFL Draft who likely wound up going undrafted due to concerns over his lack of top-end speed, the knee injury which limited his 2014 season at Central Michigan and the two-game suspension he faced after being charged with three felonies.
If he can keep his nose clean and his body healthy at the NFL level, it sounds like he's got a Seahawks roster spot in his future, which likely does not bode well for the once highly touted Michael.
Michael, set to enter his third NFL season, has appeared in just 14 career games and amassed just 52 career rushing attempts for 254 yards and one fumble. He has, of course, been forced to operate behind Beast Mode, but each preseason Michael's name seems to pop up as a potential breakout candidate and thus far, he simply hasn't been able to deliver.
Considering he's entering the penultimate year of his deal, which carries just $400,000 in dead money in 2015 and $200,000 in dead money in 2016 was the team to cut ties, his future in Seattle seems very much up in the air.
Michael likely needs a strong training camp and preseason at this point just to stick on the Seahawks roster, let alone garner any live snaps once the regular season rolls around.
