Seahawks expected to sign veteran RB Joe Mixon

SEATTLE — Veteran running back Joe Mixon is expected to sign to the Seattle Seahawks practice squad assuming he passes a physical, a source confirmed, adding depth to a position that is dealing with some injury concerns.

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald confirmed during his Monday afternoon news conference that the team had Mixon in for a workout and that he is “going through the process” of potentially joining the practice squad.

Mixon appeared to confirm that he is joining the Seahawks when he wrote “12’s WHAT’S HATNIN!!!!!” on the social media platform X Monday afternoon.

“We’re down runners,” Macdonald said of bringing in Mixon, who has made two Pro Bowls in an eight-year NFL career dating to 2017. “We need running backs. He’s a good running back.”

Seattle will be without first-round pick Jadarian Price for at least three more games after he was placed on the Injured Reserve list on Saturday while dealing with a chest injury, though there is no clear timeline for his return. Price first suffered the chest injury in a 31-7 win over Arizona and aggravated it in practice on Wednesday.

Zach Charbonnet returned to practice last Thursday from the Physically Unable to Perform list but will not play against the San Francisco 49ers and it remains unclear when he will make his season debut. And Macdonald also said last week that practice squad running back Jacardia Wright is working through some health issues.

The question will be how quickly Mixon can get up to speed and help out the Seahawks after he did not play in 2025 while on the roster of the Houston Texans after suffering what ESPN referred to as “a mysterious foot injury during the offseason, the specifics of which the Texans never disclosed.”

Mixon then asked for and was granted his release in March.

It had been unclear if he was going to play in the NFL again due to his foot. But he recently posted a workout video stating “I’m back, baby!”

Mondy afternoon, Mixon referenced his injury and sitting out last season, writing on X: “Y’all just don’t know, what I been through this passed year & a half… Just know that’s all God He will test your faith, keep trusting, stay patient, and believe in His timing. Never lose hope or give up. Your breakthrough is coming.”

Seattle brought him in for a tryout Monday morning at which he is said to have shown to be healthy enough for the team to pursue signing him. He was still going through physicals with the team Monday afternoon. If those go well then he was expected to officially sign.

Mixon entered the NFL as a second-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017 out of Oklahoma. He rushed for 6,412 yards in 97 games for the Bengals from 2017-23. His best season in Cincy came in 2021 when he made his first Pro Bowl with 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season and then had another 262 yards in four playoff games as the Bengals advanced to the Super Bowl before losing to the Los Angeles Rams. He had 72 yards on 15 carries in the 23-20 defeat.

Mixon, who turned 30 in July, was traded by Cincinnati to Houston in March of 2024 for a seventh-round pick after it had been expected that he would be released by the Bengals. Mixon rushed for 1,016 yards and a 4.1 per carry average in 2024 for Houston to earn his second Pro Bowl nod before suffering the foot injury that derailed his 2025 season.

With Price out and Charbonnet still on the way back, the Seahawks on Sunday started Emanuel Wilson at running back with George Holani also getting some time.

In what was the third start of his four-year NFL career, Wilson rushed for 81 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown and also had three receptions for 39 yards and a 23-yard TD on a screen pass.

Holani, who has been battling a rib injury that had him listed as limited in practice all last week, chipped in 18 yards on seven carries.

Macdonald said he was overall pleased with the running game in the 30-23 win over the Chargers but that “I think there were spots where we could be more effective, for sure. (There’s) room for improvement, like with the rest of the team. But given (Price’s) situation through the middle of the week and Emanuel stepping up and playing I thought everybody handled it well.’’

The expected signing of Mixon puts a further spotlight on Seattle’s running back situation and the team’s decision in the spring not to place a franchise tag on Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker III.

That allowed Walker to become a free agent and he then signed a three-year deal worth up to $43.05 million with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Walker is off to a blazing start with the Chiefs with an NFL-high 537 yards through four games, far ahead of the player who is second on the list, James Cook of Buffalo with 421.

Seattle drafted Price 32nd overall and as the second running back selected as its biggest move to replace Walker.

Price rushed for 119 yards on 28 carries in the first three games of the season but also lost fumbles against Arizona and Washington and is now on IR.

Speaking on the team’s pregame radio show on Seattle Sports 710 before Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Price suffered what he called “a funky injury” when he was tackled after catching a pass for an eight-yard gain by former Seahawk L.J. Collier.

“He just fell right on him,” Schneider said of Collier.

Schneider described Price’s injury as “an upper rib deal” and said that he aggravated it on Wednesday when “he fell on it in practice” during which Schneider said Price also hurt a different part of the shoulder as well.

“Don’t see it as a season-ending thing at all,” Schneider said. “Hope to get him back as quickly as we can.”

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