The Seattle Seahawks suddenly have Joe Mixon in their backfield.
OK, technically he’s starting on the practice squad, but this is still one of the more interesting moves Seattle has made this season. Mixon is 30, hasn’t played an NFL game since January 2025, and missed the entire 2025 season with a foot injury. He’s also a two-time Pro Bowler who rushed for more than 1,000 yards the last time he was healthy for a full season.
So what exactly are the Seahawks getting here? Probably not the Joe Mixon we remember at his peak in Cincinnati, at least not immediately. But Seattle also doesn’t need him to be that player, which is why this move makes a lot of sense.
The Last Version Of Mixon Was Still Really Good
The biggest reason to be intrigued by Mixon is pretty simple. The last time we actually saw him play football, he could still play.
Mixon rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 regular-season games for Houston in 2024. He added 36 catches for 309 yards and another touchdown, earning his second Pro Bowl selection. In two playoff games, he rushed for another 194 yards and two touchdowns.
Those aren’t numbers from a running back who’s been around long enough for everyone to recognize his name. Mixon was still a productive NFL starter at age 28, and Houston leaned heavily on him throughout that season.
Then everything stopped.
Mixon suffered a foot injury during the 2025 offseason, and the specifics were never fully disclosed publicly. He missed the entire season, Houston eventually released him in March with a non-football injury designation, and he hasn’t appeared in a game in nearly 21 months.
That’s what makes projecting him difficult. Seattle isn’t just betting on an aging running back. It’s betting on an aging running back coming off a very long absence.
Seattle Doesn’t Need To Rush Him
Fortunately, Mixon doesn’t need to walk into the building Tuesday and get 20 carries against San Francisco.
Emanuel Wilson made a pretty convincing argument against that Sunday. With rookie Jadarian Price on injured reserve, Wilson carried 21 times for 81 yards and a touchdown in Seattle’s 30-23 win over the Chargers. He also caught three passes for 39 yards, including another touchdown.
Wilson didn’t suddenly turn into Marshawn Lynch, but he showed Seattle can survive without immediately throwing Mixon into a major role. That’s important because the Seahawks should be patient here.
Let Mixon practice. Let him learn the offense. Let the coaching staff figure out what kind of burst he still has after nearly two years without playing in a game. Most importantly, let everyone see how that foot responds to an NFL workload.
There’s very little reason to rush the process.
The Seahawks’ Running Back Room Needed Help
The timing of the move isn’t exactly a mystery.
Price, Seattle’s first-round pick, is on injured reserve with a chest injury and must miss at least four games. Zach Charbonnet has started practicing again after tearing his ACL during last season’s playoff run, but Mike Macdonald has already ruled him out against San Francisco.
That leaves Wilson, George Holani and Velus Jones Jr. among Seattle’s healthy options on the active roster. Wilson performed well against Los Angeles, but that isn’t a group the defending Super Bowl champions should feel comfortable riding for an extended stretch.
Mixon gives them insurance. More importantly, he gives them insurance with some legitimate upside.
What Kind Of Role Makes Sense?
This is where expectations probably need to stay reasonable.
Mixon has 7,400-plus career rushing yards, 2,448 receiving yards and 74 total touchdowns. He’s been a true three-down NFL back and has topped 1,000 rushing yards five times, so few situations on the field are going to surprise him.
That doesn’t mean Seattle should treat him like its new RB1 immediately.
At least initially, I could see Mixon becoming useful in short-yardage situations, around the goal line and as another option in the passing game. Give him a handful of touches, see how his body responds, and expand things from there.
There’s also no reason to take carries away from Wilson simply because Mixon has the bigger name. Wilson earned more opportunities against the Chargers. If he continues producing, Seattle can use Mixon as another piece rather than immediately rearranging the entire backfield.
That’s probably the best-case scenario anyway.
The Biggest Question Is What He Has Left
Running backs don’t usually improve at 30, and nearly two years away from meaningful football isn’t exactly a small obstacle.
That’s the reality surrounding this signing. Mixon’s 2024 season gives Seattle reason for optimism, but 2024 was also a long time ago in running back years.
Nobody outside the Seahawks facility knows what Mixon’s explosiveness looks like today. We don’t know if he can still make defenders miss consistently, handle 15 carries if needed, or whether the foot injury has permanently taken something away.
The Seahawks apparently saw enough during Monday’s workout to move forward, and that’s encouraging. But a workout and an NFL game are two very different things.
And That’s Why I Like The Move
There really isn’t much downside for Seattle here.
The Seahawks are 3-1 and trying to defend a Super Bowl championship. They have a significant injury situation at running back, yet Wilson just showed he can carry the load temporarily. That gives Seattle something every team wants when taking a chance on an older veteran: time.
Maybe Mixon eventually becomes a 10-carry-per-game player. Maybe he becomes the short-yardage option. Maybe Charbonnet returns, and Seattle uses Mixon as experienced depth for the second half of the season.
Or maybe the Seahawks discover there’s considerably more left in those legs than anyone expected.
That’s what makes this worth trying. Seattle doesn’t need the Joe Mixon who once carried an offense in Cincinnati, and it shouldn’t expect him.
But if the Seahawks eventually get even a reasonable approximation of the player who rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns the last time we saw him healthy, they’ll have found a useful weapon for a team that fully expects to play deep into January.
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