The Seattle Seahawks are going in a different direction with their run game. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the team is waiving Christine Michael, who started seven games this season.
But the healthy return of Thomas Rawls and the emergence of rookie C.J. Prosise shouldn’t make this too much of a surprise. Although Michael played well earlier this season when pressed into duty, he had only 63 rush yards on 20 carries the past three games.
Michael appeared on the Seahawks’ injury report last week with a hamstring injury, listed as questionable, and was limited in the victory over the New England Patriots. Michael rushed five times for 22 yards and caught one pass for 4 yards in an 11-snap appearance.
On the season, Michael rushed 117 times for 469 yards (4.0 average) with six TDs and caught 20 passes. He’s now subject to waivers, and any team can put in a claim for him; the waiver order is determined by the reverse of the standings, so the 0-10 Cleveland Browns would have the first crack.
This is not the first time the Seahawks have moved on from Michael, a former second-round pick of the team back in 2013. They traded him to the Dallas Cowboys in 2015, and he was cut late in the season by Dallas. The Washington Redskins had Michael on their practice squad before he rejoined the Seahawks late last season.
Prosise took Michael’s starting job and has shown he can handle part of the load. The return of Rawls from a lower-body injury gives them stability, even without Michael. The Seahawks also have 2016 sixth-rounder Alex Collins on the 53-man roster and rookie Troymaine Pope, who also has been with the New York Jets this season, on the practice squad.