It's no secret the San Francisco 49ers have an uphill battle ahead of them in regard to winning their division this year. The Los Angeles Rams look retooled and ready to roll, and the Seattle Seahawks are coming off a dominant Super Bowl run.
With recent updates out of Seattle's camp, however, the Niners might be entering the 2026 season with a major advantage over their biggest division rival.
The Seahawks quickly replaced their only offensive hole this offseason left by the departure of Kenneth Walker. In response, they took running back Jadarian Price in the first round of the NFL Draft. The 1B to Jeremiah Love's 1A at Notre Dame, Price profiled similarly to Walker and appeared to serve as an appropriate replacement.
That is, until news broke that undrafted back George Holani, not Price, was running with the first-string offense in OTAs.
49ers have undisputed backfield supremacy in NFC West
Having Holani take first-team reps is an interesting decision by the Seattle coaching staff that could be explained in several ways. If anything, it only raises more question marks about how confident the Seahawks feel in their backfield as a whole heading into the year.
After failing to get selected in the 2024 draft, Holani signed with Seattle, where he mostly contributed  on special teams. Given that Price has first-round draft capital and is clearly the bigger investment, it makes little sense he would be stuck behind an unproven afterthought in the depth chart.
While Price is still expected by many to get the lion's share of the carries when the regular season rolls around, it still presents San Francisco with a clear advantage. Given the fact the Seahawks have one of the most complete rosters in the league, a leg up is much needed.
Veteran Christian McCaffrey is the clear alpha back in this division. While Jeremiyah Love was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, he is unproven, and Arizona is projected to be more of a bottom-dweller compared to the other three teams in this division.
The Niners are projected to be a competitive ball club this year, but few consider them a real threat to top both Seattle and Los Angeles. They clearly have their weaknesses and will likely need fortune to swing in their favor if they wish to pull off the NFC West upset.
The questions at running back in Seattle are a start.
If Price isn't all he was made out to be before the draft, it could leave a gaping hole in the Seahawks' offensive attack.
Such a weakness would prove helpful, considering last year, when they had none.
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