George Holani off Seahawks layaway, now backup RB option in NFC title game
The Seahawks are about to get back a running back off layaway for their biggest game in more than a decade.
George Holani returned to practice Wednesday off injured reserve. The second-year running back from Boise State had been on IR since late November. The move gives Seattle another option for depth behind lead rusher Kenneth Walker on Sunday in the NFC championship game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field (3:30 p.m., FOX television, Channel 13 locally).
Holani said before practice Wednesday he’s been healthy for weeks, waiting for the team to give him his opportunity to return. That’s happening in the wake of Zach Charbonnet’s serious, season-ending knee injury from last weekend.
Coaches and the team’s medical and training staffs will watch Holani’s progress in practices Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before determining if he’s ready to play Sunday.
If he is, he still needs to be activated onto the 53-man roster. The obvious move would be to have Holani take Charbonnet’s place on the roster, by putting Charbonnet on injured reserve by Saturday.
Asked if it’s realistic Holani plays Sunday, coach Mike Macdonald said: “Yeah, yeah. George is in great shape. Working his tail off. Excited to get him out there. Haven’t seen him practice in a minute, so it’ll be fun.”
The fact the team listed Holani as a full participant in practice Wednesday strongly suggests he’s playing Sunday.
Charbonnet suffered what Macdonald said this week is a “significant” injury, likely a torn anterior cruciate ligament, in the first half of Seattle’s 41-6 win over San Francisco in the divisional playoffs. The team’s leader with 12 touchdowns this season, the first Seahawks with 10 rushing TDs in a season since Marshawn Lynch in 2014, is headed to knee injury and a recovery time likely into next summer and training camp.
Holani has been out since his hamstring injury in the team’s win at Tennessee in Week 12. He is the Seahawks’ last designation to use to come off IR to practice this season. That means rookie wide receiver and kick returner Tory Horton will stay on injured reserve through season’s end, as Macdonald had said early this month.
Holani helped win Seattle’s game at Pittsburgh in Week 2 in September, on special teams that have been a Seahawks advantage in most games this season. Holani recovered a kickoff the Steelers allowed to bound freely off the field of play into the end zone, for a pivotal Seahawks touchdown.
Seattle also has as options to back-up Walker Sunday against the Rams NFL veterans Velus Jones Jr. and Cam Akers, a former lead back for Los Angeles. Jones and Akers are on the Seahawks’ practice squad. The team elevated Jones from it last week to play against the 49ers.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 3:50 PM.
