WATCH: Seahawks' Alex Collins makes beautiful move against defender
Seahawks running back Alex Collins made a nice open-field move Saturday night against the Los Angeles Chargers’ rookie second-round draft pick Asante Samuel Jr.
At the end of the first quarter, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith threw a short pass to the left to Collins who then evaded Samuel Jr. for a 13-yard gain. He ended the drive with a five-yard touchdown run.
By halftime, Collins had four carries for 21 yards and three catches for 27 yards plus the touchdown. Smith, who is the second-string quarterback behind Russell Wilson, went 11-for-15 with 90 yards in the first half.
Chris Carson is the confirmed No. 1 running back, but then Seattle has several other options at the position after that. Rashaad Penny, Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas are all competing for the second and third roles. Coming into preseason, Penny appeared to be the leader for the No. 2 spot, but he has not played as well as expected, especially against the Broncos last week.
Tonight’s game is the final preseason game for Seattle. The Seahawks have lost both of their preseason competitions thus far falling 20-7 to the Raiders and 30-3 to the Broncos. In those games, Collins totaled nine carries for 21 yards and no touchdowns.
They open the regular season in Indianapolis against the Colts on Sept. 12.
Collins has had a difficult path to success in the NFL
After the Seahawks drafted Collins in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, he had just 31 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown in his rookie season that consisted of 11 games. Seattle cut Collins in 2017, and he was picked up by Baltimore.
While with the Ravens for two years Collins had 326 carries for 1,384 yards and 13 touchdowns plus 292 receiving yards and a touchdown catch. 2017 was his more productive season, as his 2018 was cut short due to a foot injury.
In March 2019, Collins and a friend were involved in a car accident outside of Baltimore. Ultimately, Collins was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of marijuana in excess of 10 grams and possession of a handgun in a vehicle. The Ravens released him almost immediately.
After pleading guilty and finishing 18 months of unsupervised probation, Collins rejoined the Seattle practice squad in November 2020. He saw action in three games with 18 carries for 77 yards and two touchdowns.