Isaac Newton didn’t have football in mind when he stated that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
But it’s a law that well fits the NFL draft where every addition of a player could impact the fate of another already on the roster.
With the draft complete and rookie minicamp giving the Seattle Seahawks their first view of their new players, let’s take a look at four veteran starters whose hold on their jobs for the present and future might be a little less secure.
Running back Kenneth Walker III
Walker looked like an emerging star during his rookie season in 2022 when he gained 1,050 yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry after arriving as a second-round pick out of Michigan State.
It’s been tougher sledding the last two seasons as he’s fallen to 905 and 573 yards and 4.1 and 3.7 YPC, respectively.
The struggles of the offensive line and injuries (he missed six games last season) obviously played a role.
But the Seahawks have new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak installing a new running-game scheme — the outside zone.
They drafted two players who could play key parts in making that scheme go — fullback Robbie Ouzts in the fifth round and running back Damien Martinez in the seventh.
“These guys fit what we’re trying to do; how we want to do it,’’ coach Mike Macdonald said the day each was drafted. “You have to move people. Got to get downhill and play north and south. That’s what they’re going to help us do. … They’re going to be a big part of what we’re doing, competing with the rest of the guys we’ve got on our roster right now that we’re really excited about. It’s going to be an awesome competition.’’
The question now is whether Walker fits what the Seahawks are trying to do.
Even during his rookie season there was a perception that Walker tried too often for the home-run play rather than quickly hitting the hole and getting what was there, a reputation that has persisted the last two seasons.
The Seahawks’ best running game last season came when Zach Charbonnet filled in for an injured Walker and rushed for 134 yards on 22 carries in a win at Arizona, seeming to execute a one-cut-and-go scheme well.
Charbonnet finished averaging 4.2 yards per carry last year — a half-yard better than Walker — and has two years left on his rookie contract.
Now comes Martinez — who earned a reputation for tough, straight-ahead running at Oregon State and Miami — to add to the mix, along with the addition of Ouzts and committing to more two-back, power running.
Walker is entering the final season of his rookie contract, due to make a non-guaranteed $1.85 million this season. That makes him eligible for a contract extension now. But the Seahawks may let Walker play it out and decide later if they want to keep him around or let him hit free agency next March.
Some have even speculated they could look to trade Walker, knowing they have Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh and Martinez on hand, and possibly wanting to keep only three running backs (as well as a fullback) on the 53-man roster.
Either way, this looms as a pivotal season for Walker’s Seahawks career.
Guard Anthony Bradford
As expected, first-round pick Grey Zabel spent rookie minicamp playing left guard, filling the vacancy created when the Seahawks didn’t re-sign Laken Tomlinson, who started all 17 games there a year ago.
Sixth-round pick Bryce Cabeldue of Kansas played right guard, joining a crowded competition for that spot.
The Seahawks used three players there last year — Bradford, who started 11 games before suffering an ankle injury; 2024 sixth-round pick Sataoa Laumea, who started the final six games, and 2024 third-rounder Christian Haynes, who got 167 snaps rotating in for a few games.
The Seahawks appear high on Laumea, who played well against Arizona and a few other games down the stretch, and is sure to do everything they can to get the most out of Haynes, the 81st overall pick a year ago.
That could leave it up to Bradford, a fourth-round pick in 2023, to show he deserves to survive what could be a numbers crunch up front.
It’s worth remembering that the Seahawks thought he was their best option at RG for the first 11 games of last season.
But he ranked just 118th out of 136 guards in the NFL via Pro Football Focus at season’s end, and the Seahawks could defer to the slightly younger players if things are relatively even.
Worth watching when OTAs begin May 27 is who else they use at left guard to compete with Zabel and what that might say about the right guard competition.
Safety Coby Bryant
Bryant’s roster spot for 2025 seems secure, and likely his starting spot at safety alongside Julian Love after he emerged as a key part of the Seahawks’ defensive turnaround the second half of the 2024 season.
Bryant is entering the final season of his rookie deal due to make $3.406 million, none of which is guaranteed and all of which can be saved against the cap if he were released.
The Seahawks have added second-round pick Nick Emmanwori to the mix, a player they liked enough to make an aggressive move to trade picks 52 and 82 to get him at 35.
Given how well the Love-Bryant safety tandem played in 2024, the most likely scenario this year would seem to be Emmanwori easing in to three-safety sets and maybe playing as a slot corner.
But if Emmanwori proves he’s ready to be an every-down player those snaps could come from Bryant and play into decisions the Seahawks make about Bryant’s contractual future.
Tight end Noah Fant
More than a few draft analysts called second-round pick tight end Elijah Arroyo the most intriguing of the Seahawks’ selection because of the big-play ability he showed at Miami and the thinking that there is a lot of untapped potential.
For now, Arroyo seems likely to work in a rotation with AJ Barner behind Fant, who projects as the starter.
Kubiak has made clear the value of tight ends in his offense and having three good ones to rely on seems to make sense.
The Seahawks also signed veteran free agent Eric Saubert, but he projects as a backup and core special teamer, a signing that allowed them to move Brady Russell to fullback.
If Arroyo proves ready for starter’s snaps from day one and the Seahawks think they have adequate depth with the other players, they could consider options with Fant, who carries the second-largest cap hit on the team at $13.41 million behind only defensive lineman Leonard Williams ($15.04 million).
Fant is entering the final season of his contract and none of his $8.4 million base salary for this year is guaranteed, and the Seahawks would save $8.91 million in cap space if he were cut or traded before or after June 1.