The Seattle Seahawks signed veteran running back Joe Mixon to their practice squad on Monday, a move made necessary by significant injuries and departures that have left the team's backfield depleted. According to multiple reports, the 30-year-old Mixon underwent a quick workout in the Pacific Northwest before the decision was finalized.
Seattle enters this roster move following a 30-23 victory over the Chargers in Week 4, which improved their record to 3-1. Despite the win, the team's running game has suffered. Kenneth Walker III, who won Super Bowl MVP honors, left in free agency. Additionally, first-round rookie Jadarian Price was placed on injured reserve. These losses have forced Seattle to seek immediate reinforcement for a position group described as running on fumes.
Mixon will begin on the practice squad to regain conditioning, meaning he is not expected to play immediately. He missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from a severe foot injury sustained after a strong 2024 campaign. In 2024, playing for the Houston Texans, Mixon rushed for 1,016 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in 14 games, earning his second Pro Bowl selection. Prior to that, he spent seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he won the 2018 AFC rushing title with 1,168 yards and helped the team reach Super Bowl LVI in 2021.
The decision to sign Mixon comes despite a history of off-field incidents that have complicated his career. In 2014, while at the University of Oklahoma, video showed Mixon punching student Amelia Molitor, breaking four bones in her face. Oklahoma suspended him for the season, and he later entered an Alford plea resulting in 100 hours of community service. Several NFL teams reportedly removed him from their draft boards before the Bengals selected him in the second round in 2017.
Legal issues continued into his professional years. In 2023, Mixon faced a misdemeanor aggravated-menacing charge related to a road-rage incident in Cincinnati, though a judge found him not guilty at trial. In a separate incident that same year, a teenager playing near Mixon's home was shot by Mixon's sister's boyfriend during a Nerf game. While authorities did not charge Mixon, the victim's family filed a lawsuit against him and the alleged shooter, which was settled in 2025.
The Seahawks are betting that Mixon retains enough physical capability to contribute to their struggling offense. As he works into shape on the practice squad, the team relies on his experience to provide stability to a backfield that has faced unexpected turmoil early in the season.