Robert Henry Jr. Blessed for ‘Great Opportunity’ Joining Seahawks’ Backfield

RENTON, Wash. - Switching teams during the middle of an NFL season always creates chaos, with quickly finding a place to live in a new city to rapidly learning a new playbook in a matter of days being only two of the many challenges facing players under such circumstances.

But those challenges become further magnified for rookies, who already find themselves swimming trying to acclimate to the league. That’s especially the case for an undrafted player such as running back Robert Henry Jr., who as of only two days earlier on Monday remained on the Washington Commanders’ practice squad and hadn’t even appeared in a regular season game yet before learning that the Seattle Seahawks would be signing him to their active roster.

Booking a flight to the Emerald City in a moment’s notice, Henry arrived on Tuesday for his physical and by Wednesday afternoon, he was suiting up for his first practice as a Seahawk, giving him just three days to dive headfirst into offensive coordinator Brian Fleury’s playbook with hopes of positioning himself to play on Sunday against the 49ers.

“It’s different, you know what I’m saying?” Henry smiled as he started to suit up at his locker for his first practice with his new team. “It’s a great opportunity for me and my family. I’m just taking it day by day, but it’s been a great process.”

It’s been quite the whirlwind for Henry, a late-rising NFL prospect who began his college career at Jones College, a community college in Mississippi. The first of several direct and indirect connections to the Seahawks, he won the inaugural Walter Jones Trophy, which is awarded to the top junior college player in NJCAA Division I and named after the iconic Hall of Fame tackle, after a sensational sophomore season where he rushed for 1,302 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Happily accepting the equivalent of the NJCAA’s Heisman Trophy, Henry flew from Mississippi to Florida to receive the award from “Big Walt,” loving every minute as he soaked up the chance to spend time with one of the best blockers in NFL history. He still has Jones’ number in his contacts, viewing that moment as one of the most “special” of his life thus far.

Henry received modest interest from FBS programs, ultimately choosing to sign with UT San Antonio. In a reserve role in his first season on campus, he rushed for 11 touchdowns on just 147 carries, following up with 696 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. Shining in a complementary backfield role, he garnered interest from other schools, including North Carolina, but with his girlfriend pregnant at the time, he opted to stay put with the Roadrunners.

Granted a fifth year of eligibility, Henry finished off his collegiate career with a bang, rushing for 1,051 yards and nine touchdowns with a gaudy 6.9 yards per carry average, finishing fifth among FBS backs with 4.26 yards per carry after contact and scoring multiple 70-plus yard touchdowns as a runner and receiver. He also became a father with the birth of his son Dante, which he said gave him a “soft spot.”

“Just watching my son grow up, he shaped me as a person and definitely as a father,” Henry said. “I look into that every day, get a chance to see him every day, every chance I get.”

Despite impressive production to close out his time in San Antonio, Henry didn’t perform quite as well as expected at the NFL combine, including running the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds. Already 24 years old and weighing under 200 pounds to go with an average workout in Indianapolis, much to his surprise after such a strong final college season where he played at his best against top competition, including 177 rushing yards against Texas A&M, he ultimately went undrafted, eventually signing with Washington as a priority free agent.

Performing well in training camp, Henry just missed on making the Commanders’ final 53-man roster in late August after rushing for over 100 yards and a 22-yard touchdown in three preseason games, returning as a member of the practice squad for the past month. Then, the Seahawks came calling, with his agent informing him on Monday that the team was planning to sign him to their active roster on the heels of losing first round pick Jadarian Price to injured reserve with a chest injury.

While Henry admitted he’s been “swimming” a bit trying to get up to speed over the past 48 hours after the signing became official, the Seahawks emerging as the team that decided to take a chance on him didn’t come as a shock at all, as the former Roadrunners star indicated the team had shown extensive interest in him throughout the pre-draft process. This included multiple discussions with first-year running backs coach Thomas Hammock via Zoom calls in the weeks leading up to the draft.

“I knew I was kind of on their radar,” Henry recalled. “Didn’t know if they were going to draft me, but they’ve always kind of been there. Coach Hammock is a great coach and I always felt like they believed in me, and they circled back and definitely picked me up, so I’m happy and grateful for that.”

Signed to an active roster for the first time in his career, Henry will see a nice pay bump from the practice squad salary he received in Washington for at least the next three weeks, and an opportunity should be there for the rookie to try to carve out a complementary role behind Emanuel Wilson and George Holani, the top two backs currently on the depth chart.

The next few weeks will be critical for Henry to prove himself, as the Seahawks recently brought Zach Charbonnet back to practice as he draws closer to making his 2026 debut after suffering a torn ACL back in January and Price will be eligible to return after a Week 7 home game against the Chiefs on October 25. It’s possible, if not probable, both players will be back on the active roster by Week 8 when the Bears fly out for Monday Night Football, which means the clock will be ticking for the rookie to impress.

As for what Seahawks fans should expect if and when Henry does get his shot to show what he can do in Fleury’s offense on the big stage, coach Mike Macdonald lauded him for “good vision, good burst,” reaffirming that the scouting department and coaching staff had a strong evaluation on him heading into the draft. The player himself compared his skill set to that of Saints star Alvin Kamara, citing his similar size, explosiveness, and elusiveness as both a runner and pass catcher out of the backfield to the multi-time Pro Bowl selection.

It remains to be seen if Henry can come anywhere close to making a similar impact to Kamara, but by choosing to sign him to their active roster, Seattle clearly believes he can come onboard and help the running game. At least until Price returns, the backfield stable as constructed lacks a true home run threat, and the rookie hopes to show he has the extra gear and vision needed to help fill that gap.

But before he can do that, Henry has to take care of the first order of business, making sure he keeps his nose in the playbook as he aims to earn the trust of a new coaching staff. Confident in his ability to learn the offense quickly and make a difference between the lines for a team that believes in him, he’s setting his sights set on suiting up as early as Sunday afternoon for the Seahawks, eager to make the most of this latest opportunity after all 32 teams passed on him on draft weekend.

“It was definitely surprising, being one of the top leading rushers in the nation and [not getting picked]. But everything happened for a reason. It’s definitely a blessing.”