Seahawks make one of the most surprising moves of NFL roster cut down day and move on from young player
The Seattle Seahawks are not shying away from bold moves as they get down to 53 players for their Week 1 active roster. Their latest decision will probably surprise plenty of people around the NFL.
Seahawks release rookie running back
According to Matt Zenitz, the Seahawks are releasing rookie running back Damien Martinez. He was a seventh-round pick in this year's draft.
This move is a bold one by Seattle. It proves that they have a ton of confidence in their other RB options, including Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. George Holani has seemingly edged out Martinez for a roster spot, too.
Martinez had some struggles at times in the preseason, but his physical nature and running style was always going to lead to some adjusting at the NFL level. Clearly, Seattle felt like Holani was a safer option when it comes to depth in their backfield. Klint Kubiak, the new OC for the Seahawks, has valued different styles at the RB position in his offenses of the past.
The Seahawks' decision to release Damien Martinez is one of the more shocking revelations of roster cutdown day in the NFL. That might seem rich, given he was the 7th pick of the 7th round back in April, but he was one of the more promising day three running backs. He dominated at two different schools, in two different conferences, and he is more than capable of being a goal-line and short-yardage back with special teams utility.
So it's a surprise for sure. Kenneth Walker is one of the more dynamic backs in the NFL, but he has been plagued by injury to start his career. The team only has one reliable back behind him now via Zach Charbonnet. I expect Martinez to incur interest around the league.
