Seahawks Sign Joe Mixon After Injuries Ravage RB Depth

The Seattle Seahawks have turned to veteran running back Joe Mixon after a series of setbacks left their backfield dangerously thin. Multiple reports said Seattle signed the 30-year-old on Monday following a brief workout in the Pacific Northwest, giving the former Pro Bowler another path back into the league after he missed all of 2025.

Seattle made the move despite improving to 3-1 with a 30-23 Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The record looks solid, but the depth chart at running back has become a major concern. Kenneth Walker III, who earned Super Bowl MVP honors, departed in free agency, and first-round rookie Jadarian Price was recently placed on injured reserve. That combination left the Seahawks searching for proven help, even if it comes with uncertainty.

Mixon is not expected to contribute immediately. He will begin on Seattle’s practice squad as he works his way back into football shape after a long layoff. His absence last season stemmed from a serious foot injury suffered shortly after a strong 2024 campaign with the Houston Texans, when he rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns in 14 games and earned his second Pro Bowl selection.

From a pure football standpoint, Mixon’s resume explains why a team in need would take a look. During seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, he won the AFC rushing title in 2018 with 1,168 yards and made his first Pro Bowl in 2021. He was also part of the Bengals team that reached Super Bowl LVI, where he added a memorable six-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins.

Still, Seattle’s decision is not without baggage. Mixon’s career has long been shadowed by off-field issues dating to college. In 2014, video showed him punching Oklahoma student Amelia Molitor, breaking four bones in her face. Oklahoma suspended him for the season, and he later entered an Alford plea and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. The incident was serious enough that several NFL teams reportedly removed him from their draft boards before Cincinnati selected him in the second round in 2017.

The legal scrutiny did not fully end once he reached the NFL. In 2023, Mixon faced a misdemeanor aggravated-menacing charge tied to a road-rage incident in Cincinnati, but he was found not guilty at trial. In a separate case from March 2023, a teenager playing a Nerf game near Mixon’s home was shot by Mixon’s sister’s boyfriend. Authorities did not charge Mixon, though the victim’s family filed a civil lawsuit against him and the alleged shooter. That lawsuit was settled in 2025.

For Seattle, the calculation appears straightforward: the Seahawks need experience, size and a runner with a history of production, even if the move carries risk and no guarantee of immediate returns. Mixon is older, coming off a lost season, and trying to reestablish himself in a league that rarely waits long for running backs.

Whether this becomes a meaningful comeback or simply a short-term depth move will depend on how quickly Mixon can regain form. For now, Seattle is betting that a battered backfield makes this chance worth taking.