Last week against the Chargers, Seattle's offense debuted something it had not shown before – receiver Rashid Shaheed taking carries out of the backfield. On a toss sweep, Shaheed was able to make his way into the endzone for his first offensive touchdown as a Seahawk. Yes, you might remember Shaheed's touchdowns from last season, but those were during returns. He had both a punt and two kicks returned for touchdowns in 2025, one of them during the opening kickoff of the divisional round against the San Francisco 49ers.
Shaheed's versatility as a receiver is something the Seahawks have been planning for and want to capitalize on. The way offensive coordinator Brian Fleury uses receivers like Shaheed and Jaxon Smith-Njigba makes it difficult for defenses to know exactly what to expect.
"It's a lot harder for guys to key on what we have planned," Shaheed said. "They see us in the backfield and automatically think that something's up. Anything can happen when a guy is in the backfield like me, Jax (Jaxon Smith-Njigba), or Coop (Cooper Kupp). There are so many different routes that can be ran and it definitely helps out the guys running down the field. We can attack the linebackers, get their eyes on us and allow guys to be able to run freely back there. I'm excited for what we have planned in the future."
Shaheed is a known difference maker on special teams and a speedy pass catcher on offense and now he is an option for Seattle out of the backfield.
"He's a weapon," quarterback Sam Darnold said. "Like Nick (Emmanwori) on our defense, he's a guy that you can put in a ton of spots and use in a lot of ways."
Fleury added: "Anytime you can add a different element to the backfield with different players, it kind of just gives you a little bit more diversity and makes the defense prepare for different types of plays. It's something we actually have been doing since I think at least training camp, if not even the spring, in anticipation that a situation like this might come up. So, he was ready for it."
Shaheed is no stranger to the backfield, having played a little bit of running back in at Mt. Carmel High School and his first year at Weber State before making the move to receiver when he realized he was done growing.
"Once I figured out that I wasn't going to be a big person, I made that decision that I didn't want to get hit by linebackers," Shaheed laughed.
But the skills he gained from that experience are proving to be helpful now in his fifth season in the league. In Week 4, he had two carries for 33 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
"Part of the reason we got into it early was just so I could evaluate what his general spatial awareness was, how easily he was able to feel depth and horizontal seams, and then get into them pretty quickly," Fleury said. "Once you can see he can function in a little bit more combined space, starting from the backfield, then it was easy to just kind of let it grow. There's one thing to put a receiver in the backfield in a passing situation, completely different to be under center. And so that's what I was looking for with him and once we saw that he could do that, then there's a lot of possibilities there."
Shaheed said it was "really fun" executing plays as a ball carrier.
Fleury said he plans to use Shaheed in that role throughout the season while keeping in mind the mental and physical workload.
"You don't want to put him in a situation where his durability becomes an issue," Fleury said. "There is a little bit more of a collision aspect to playing in the backfield as opposed to playing out wide. You try to select plays that minimize the risk of that, which I think we've done a good job of. You also don't want to overload him mentally. It's just a learning curve like everything else. You give him something new and you can tell when he starts to feel comfortable and doesn't have to think about it anymore. Once he's got that, then you just keep adding and that package will continue to increase."
The Seahawks practiced on Thursday, October 8 as they get ready for Week 5 vs. 49ers.
Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (4) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (4) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks long snapper Chris Stoll (41) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks nose tackle Brandon Pili (95) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks nose tackle Deven Eastern (97) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks defensive tackle Gary Smith III (77) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks defensive tackle Rylie Mills (98) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks nose tackle Brandon Pili (95) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks nose tackle Deven Eastern (97) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe (6) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Eric Saubert (81) and running back George Holani (36) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Malick Meiga (83) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Emanuel Wilson (23) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks center Jalen Sundell (61) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas (32) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Velus Jones Jr. (33) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. (87) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Irv Charles (85) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Michael Dansby (37) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Rodney Thomas II (24) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Andre Fuller (35) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Maxen Hook (43) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Maxen Hook (43) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks guard Grey Zabel (76) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety AJ Finley (30) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Rodney Thomas II (24) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tackle Charles Cross (67) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks center Federico Maranges (62) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks center Olu Oluwatimi (55) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tackle Josh Jones (74) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Patrick O'Connell (52) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo (46) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
The Seahawks practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas (32) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Patrick O'Connell (52) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Jimmy Ciarlo (46) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks defensive tackle Gary Smith III (77) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks defensive tackle Rylie Mills (98) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Velus Jones Jr. (33) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks nose tackle Jarran Reed (90) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks nose tackle Brandon Pili (95) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks defensive end Mike Morris (94) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton (15) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Ricky White III (86) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (84) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (84) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Aidan Hubbard (93) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Aidan Hubbard (93) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Ricky White III (86) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker DeMarcus Lawrence (0) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. (56) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks linebacker Connor O'Toole (57) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Robert Henry Jr. (34) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Dontae McMillan (25) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29) and safety Ty Okada (39) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (18) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Emanuel Wilson (23) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks running back Dontae McMillan (25) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
The Seahawks practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
The Seahawks practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Irv Charles (85) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
Seahawks wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) practiced on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
