Legendary Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch retired this off-season, and while his final season was an anticlimax, the void he leaves in the Seahawks’ backfield is immense. Lynch was so many things for the Seahawks that trying to replace him with a single player would be impossible. That’s why the Seahawks have assembled a whole host of talent to replace all the aspects of Beast Mode. Let’s break down the replacement plan piece by piece.
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Beast Moding: Thomas Rawls
Lynch was best known for running over dudes. After Lynch took a hit, it seemed like he got stronger. And, in fact, the Seahawks had the NFL leader in average rushing yards amassed after getting hit last season… but it wasn’t Lynch. It was undrafted rookie Thomas Rawls, whose forceful running style between the tackles allowed him to slot right into the Seahawks’ offense when Lynch got injured. This style also led to Rawls breaking his ankle, but by all reports he’ll be ready to step back onto the field by the Seahawks season opener.
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Pass Catching: C.J. Prosise
While Lynch was best known for his hard-nosed running style, he was also an able pass catcher. The Seahawks used him both as a receiver out of the backfield and to occasionally split wide to run short routes. Lynch averaged about 300 receiving yards a year, and the Seahawks third-round draft pick C.J. Prosise is the most likely player to pick up that slack. Prosise was a defensive back/wide receiver at Notre Dame before being converted into a running back for his junior year, so he has great hands to pair with a smooth open field running style.
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Breakaway Speed: Christine Michael
Lynch wasn’t just strong, he was also incredibly fast in the open field. In terms of replacing that speed? Seahawks prodigal son Christine Michael is the answer here. While Michael has always had incredible speed, in the past year he has matured as a runner and improved his vision and ball security—meaning that he can get into those open field situations without risking turnovers.
Volume Carries: Alex Collins
Lynch was insanely durable given his running style until his final year as a Seahawk, and while Rawls and Prosise are both great, they have not shown themselves to be capable of putting up 300 touch seasons without breaking down. So the Seahawks got themselves a bunch of guys to make sure that the team can pound the ball no matter what. Although the least touted of the group (Troymaine Pope was the flashiest runner this preseason), the team stuck with the hard-nosed Alex Collins out of Arkansas, who will be able to give the team unlimited decent Marshawn-lite carries in a pinch if the starters go down.
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Mouth: Michael Bennett
Even in retirement, Lynch is still giving the best quotes in the game. “Run through a motherfucker’s face, and you don’t have to worry about them no more” is a life lesson that we can all benefit from. Fortunately, with Lynch gone, the Seahawks have a ready-made replacement in house in defensive lineman Michael Bennett. While it’s tough to pick a single Bennett quote as a favorite, I’ll go with “I wake up every day and look in the mirror and say, ‘Damn, I look good.’ So I can’t be stressed.”