Seahawks promote running back George Farmer, who knows their playboook

SEATTLE – The move that had been anticipated for a day or so finally happened on Wednesday as the Seahawks promoted George Farmer from the practice squad to the 53-man roster to help fill in depth at a tailback spot hit with injuries in Sunday’s 26-15 win over the Eagles.

Farmer has been with the Seahawks off and on since training camp in 2015, used in practice as a defensive back, receiver and running back. And it is that familiarity between the team and player that helped lead to his call-up this week.

That Farmer has no NFL experience and a career resume that isn’t overwhelming (while a highly touted recruit at USC he had just 30 catches for 363 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons) may lead to some shrugs from fans who might have wondered why the Seahawks wouldn’t have pursued some other available tailbacks to fill in with C.J. Prosise out indefinitely with a broken shoulder blade and Troymaine Pope likely sidelined at least a week or two with a high ankle sprain.

But a player’s familiarity with the playbook and the team’s knowledge of what a player can do helps greatly when a team needs immediate help late in the season.

“It’ll be a pretty seamless transition,” said offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. “He already has played a bunch of scout team for us, he’s in all of our meeting rooms – he’s been in the running back meeting rooms, the receiving meeting rooms. So he has a good understanding of what we’re asking him to do. I think he’ll be able to make an easy transition and a quick one.”

The Seahawks are looking at Farmer to be insurance behind Thomas Rawls and Alex Collins and possibly get some snaps as a third-down back, which is a role the team figured would be a good fit for him when moving him to running back in the preseason.

Bevell said one key will be how comfortable the Seahawks feel about Farmer’s ability to pass protect.

“We have to see,” Bevell said. “The protection thing is obviously a big area for him and he’s made great strides in that. He has the athletic ability to do all the same things that C.J. can do. But it’s an important part of it to be able to stand in there and have an understanding of it but then physically be able to do it, as well. He’s shown us that, we’re not scared to put him in there, so he’s shown us that we can do it. Until we get into the heat of the moment, he’ll get those opportunities to make that known to us.”

Farmer spent much of last season on Seattle’s practice squad, then was signed to a futures contract in February and was with the team throughout the offseason. Moved to tailback early in camp, he was seeing increasing action in the preseason before a foot injury suffered in practice before the final preseason game against the Oakland Raiders led to him being waived as injured.

Once he got healthy, the Seahawks brought him back to the practice squad (initially on Nov. 1 and then again on Nov. 9) and have been grooming him in case needed.