Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls recently returned to practice after a broken ankle ended a promising rookie season prematurely. He knows he has his work cut out of him, given the team’s decision to draft three running backs in April.
“We’re going to compete,” Rawls told reporters on Tuesday. “I don’t feel established, I’m going to always be a hard worker, I’ll always be a leader and I’m going to always congratulate guys whenever guys go out there and do some of the amazing things that they do. After they drafted the guys I was excited, we got some young good talent coming in and the expectation is for the position. So it doesn’t matter if Thomas [Rawls] is back there, it doesn’t matter if Christine [Michael] is back there, it doesn’t matter if these other guys are back there, when you’re back there you have to be a Seattle Seahawk. Whenever you’re back there you’re relentless, you’re tough, you play with a passion, it’s something so deep inside of you. You have to feel like you’re the catalyst of this team, when you’re in that backfield; to up hold that tradition and that’s one thing were going to do.”
As an undrafted free agent in 2015, Rawls appeared in 13 games with seven starts. He rushed for 830 yards on 147 attempts. With Marshawn Lynch gone, Rawls may get the first, best chance to become the new workhorse in Seattle. If he can’t, the Seahawks will have plenty of other guys ready to roll.