‘He’s an Option’: Seahawks Designate George Holani for Return Ahead of NFC Championship Game
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Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani (36) rushes during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images [/caption]
RENTON, Wash. - With Zach Charbonnet going down to a torn ACL in Saturday’s 41-6 Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks suddenly found themselves with a bit of a backfield conundrum behind Ken Walker III.
But with Charbonnet set to undergo season-ending surgery, fortunately for Seattle, while coach Mike Macdonald opted for a non-committal response on his status on Monday beyond simply calling him an “option,” second-year running back George Holani appears to be ready to jump back into the mix as a replacement at the perfect time.
“I think we'll just let it play out this week on how everything goes,” Macdonald told reporters. “Probably hear from that over the next few days.”
As officially announced by the team, Holani has been designated to return to practice for the Seahawks, opening his 21-day window to be activated to the 53-man roster. If all goes well this week, the former Boise State star - who has been sidelined since going on injured reserve with a hamstring strain on November 29 - likely will play in his first game since Week 12 when the Rams visit on Sunday for the NFC Championship Game with a spot in the Super Bowl on the line.
The 5-11, 210-pound Holani isn’t a carbon copy to Charbonnet, as he isn’t quite as powerful running through the face mask of defenders and bulldozing between the tackles as his fallen teammate. But at the same time, when he has had the rare opportunity to contribute on offense, he has still packed a mean punch creating yardage after contact and been slippery to bring down in space, demonstrated by forcing five missed tackles on only 22 carries this season, per Pro Football Focus charting.
In the preseason, after mostly spending time on the practice squad as a rookie developing behind the scenes, Holani played a starring role for the Seahawks, rushing 12 times for 110 yards and a touchdown, capitalizing on Kenny McIntosh’s early August ACL tear to win the third running back job behind Walker and Charbonnet. In two exhibition games, he had three runs of 10-plus yards, showcasing explosiveness and burst while compiling an impressive 66% breakaway rate and forcing a pair of missed tackles.
Early in the season, he primarily excelled as a core special teams player for coordinator Jay Harbaugh, including recovering a touchdown in the end zone on a bizarre botched kickoff play by the Steelers in Week 2. Once Klint Kubiak gave him a shot to pitch in during the regular season beyond a few occasional garbage time snaps, Holani cashed in by scoring a rushing touchdown in a Week 10 win over the Cardinals, earning himself more snaps on offense before his hamstring injury put him on the shelf.
In addition, dating back to his stellar college career where he once started ahead of future Raiders top-10 pick Ashton Jeanty, Holani brings a well-rounded game to the equation that should help fill the void vacated by Charbonnet, who often received third down back reps instead of Walker this season. He caught nearly 90 passes with eight receiving touchdowns in five collegiate seasons with the Broncos, offering a dynamic pass catching weapon out of the backfield, and he registered a 20-yard pitch and catch on a screen in the preseason, further helping his cause vying for a roster spot.
Maybe most importantly given Charbonnet’s excellence in pass protection, Holani has drawn praise for his blitz pickup skills and willingness to do the dirty work from Seattle’s coaching staff ever since arriving as an undrafted rookie in 2024. He regularly impressed in one-on-one drills in training camp each of the past two years and albeit with a very limited sample size, he hasn’t allowed any pressures on 12 pass protection reps in preseason and regular season games.
Of course, blocking a third or fourth-string linebacker on a blitz in an August exhibition game doesn’t hold a candle to trying to protect Sam Darnold against a talented Rams defense on championship weekend, so Holani will have to prove he can maintain that level of play against far superior competition on the biggest stage. But Macdonald and Kubiak have the utmost trust in him and as long as he’s recovered and doesn’t have any setbacks during practice this week, he should be next in line to pick up much of the slack with Charbonnet out.
Away from Holani, who should have his spot on the 53-man roster opened up later this week, the Seahawks have Cam Akers and Velus Jones Jr. currently on their practice squad as additional insurance to help soften the blow of Charbonnet’s injury and Macdonald has plenty of confidence in both stepping up when called upon. Akers has yet to receive a carry in three games with the team, though he did return a pair of kickoffs for 29 yards, while Jones dressed for Saturday’s Divisional Round and rushed six times for 10 yards.
“Both are really good players in their own right, and they got a great opportunity in front of them. You hate it to be under these circumstances, but it is what it is. We’ve got to move forward. So they'll be ready to go.”
