The Seattle Seahawks may have won the Super Bowl, but the team suffered a big loss when Kenneth Walker III left in free agency.

It left a big question mark at running back, but former undrafted free agent George Holani appears ready to provide an answer.

According to ESPN, Holani has received the most first-team reps of any running back during OTAs and minicamp, giving him a clear nod when it comes to the competition for the starting role. The four-letter network labeled him the biggest surprise of the offseason so far, which is encouraging news for a Seahawks roster still adjusting to life without one of its most dynamic playmakers.

In the absence of a true surprise standout, we’ll go with Holani, a 2024 undrafted free agent who is squarely in Seattle’s backfield plans for 2026. In the six full-squad practices that were open to reporters, it was Holani — not first-round pick Jadarian Price or free agent pickup Emanuel Wilson — who tended to get the first crack with the No. 1 offense. Holani is looking to build off his strong finish to 2025, when he performed well as a fill-in for Zach Charbonnet.

This development shouldn’t shock anyone who has followed the team closely. Reports surfaced a couple of months ago that Seattle’s coaching staff had a lot of confidence in Holani as the No. 1 option, even after the front office added Emmanuel Wilson in free agency and drafted Jadarian Price in the first round. The staff genuinely likes what Holani brings to the table, and his tape backs that up.

The biggest question surrounding George Holani is clear

Holani is a shifty runner with decent speed and a physical edge that belies his size. Last season, he flashed in a very limited role, rushing for 73 yards on 22 attempts with a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 15 yards. He barely saw the field in the playoffs, though, so the biggest question surrounding him is whether he can handle a larger share of the workload. Even in a three-headed rotation, he’d likely see 30 to 35 percent of snaps, pushing his snap count into the 200-to-300 range over a full season.

That’s a major increase for a player that’s played a grand total of 41 offensive snaps over his first two years in the league. 36 offensive snaps is the most snaps Holani has played in a single season and that was last year. He’s a professional, though, so the increased workload shouldn’t be too big an adjustment, but we’ll just have to see.

Seahawks will save millions if Holani becomes a productive RB1

The financial angle makes Holani’s potential even more appealing for the Seahawks. Walker III signed a three-year, $43.05 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, while Holani is barely making over $1 million this year on an ERFA deal. If Holani emerges as a legitimate starter and produces at even a solid level, that’s major savings (in both cash and cap) for a team trying to sustain a championship-caliber roster. It would make the front office look like geniuses for trusting an in-house option rather than paying top dollar to retain Walker.

Holani earning “biggest surprise” raises eyebrows, though

There is a catch, however. As we saw in the blurb, Holani basically earned biggest surprise by default.

That’s slightly concerning when considering The Seahawks need guys players in the receiver room behind Rashid Shaheed to be stepping up. Even the rookie DBs in Bud Clark and Julian Neal would be a welcoming sight.

It’s way too early to seriously evaluate the trenches, but other names on that list would be Anthony Bradford and Beau Stephens once the pads come on.

Regardless, everything points in a positive direction for Holani heading into training camp. He has the staff’s trust, the first-team reps, and an opportunity that most undrafted free agents never get. Now it’s about proving he can carry a bigger load when the games count.