Weber State Professional Athletes

Weber State in the NFL: Week of Oct. 11–17

When the Seahawks needed a running back, they didn't scroll through the waiver wire — they looked at their own receiver room. Rashid Shaheed, the Weber State product who carved out an NFL role as a wideout, has been moonlighting in the backfield amid Seattle's injury-depleted depth chart, and it turns out the position isn't entirely foreign to him.

Shaheed's history as a running back — a part of his pre-NFL identity — is suddenly relevant again in the Pacific Northwest. Against Denver on Thursday (Oct. 15), Shaheed logged two rushing yards alongside a sharp five-catch, 66-yard receiving performance in a 17-14 loss to the Broncos. The dual-role usage underscores just how much the Seahawks value his versatility, even as the team dropped the game. It also serves as a callback to the kind of multi-threat football Shaheed played at Weber State, where that adaptability first caught professional eyes.

His earlier outing against San Francisco on Oct. 11 was quieter — two catches for 23 yards in a 29-32 loss — but the broader two-week picture is one of a receiver being asked to do more than his job title suggests. Over two games, Shaheed totaled seven catches for 89 yards and saw legitimate carries out of the backfield, a workload that would have seemed unusual just a month ago.

The Wildcats' fingerprints are elsewhere in the league this week, though the ledger is mixed. Taron Johnson, now with the Raiders at cornerback, was on the field for Las Vegas's 45-17 blowout loss to New England on Oct. 11 — a rough afternoon for a Raiders squad still searching for its footing. Winston Reid, the linebacker the Browns picked up from the Weber State pipeline, was part of a Cleveland defense that dropped a 12-17 decision to the Jets on the same Sunday.

Neither Johnson nor Reid put up notable individual numbers in the brief, but both remain active contributors on NFL rosters — a point worth appreciating for a mid-major program in Ogden, Utah that continues to punch above its recruiting weight in producing professional talent.

The headline, though, belongs to Shaheed. The position switch isn't a gimmick — it's the Seahawks making a calculated bet on a player whose college versatility never fully disappeared. Weber State fans who watched him in the Big Sky Conference understand: Shaheed has always been more than one thing. Seattle is just now catching up to what Wildcat faithful already knew.

Weber State in the NFL | Week of Oct. 4–10, 2026

Rashid Shaheed has always been one of the more electric playmakers to come out of Weber State. Now he's proving he can do it from a position he didn't even play in college.

The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver turned tailback was one of the more unusual stories of Week 4 — and it paid off. With Seattle's running back room battered by injury, most notably the loss of rookie Jadarian Price, the Seahawks leaned on Shaheed out of the backfield against the Los Angeles Chargers. He delivered: two carries, 33 yards, and a 28-yard rushing touchdown in a 30–23 Seattle win. He also caught one pass for 20 yards, making him a genuine dual threat on the afternoon.

What makes the moment even more notable is that this wasn't a desperation audible. According to Pro Football Talk, the Seahawks had been planning Shaheed's backfield role since training camp — the Price injury simply accelerated the timeline. Seattle's coaching staff clearly saw something in Shaheed's speed and football instincts that translated beyond the receiver position, and Week 4 was their proof of concept.

Sports Illustrated noted that George Holani is also being counted on to shoulder more of the load as the injuries mount, but Shaheed's versatility gives Seattle a genuine chess piece that few defenses will have schemed against. The Seahawks further reinforced their backfield depth by signing former Ravens running back Dontae McMillan — a one-time Shaheed teammate — to the practice squad.

For Weber State fans, this is the kind of moment that underscores what made Shaheed a prospect in the first place: elite speed, sharp instincts, and a willingness to do whatever the team asks. Scoring a rushing touchdown as a wideout in an NFL regular-season win is a genuinely rare feat, and Shaheed made it look routine.

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Elsewhere around the league, Taron Johnson suited up for the Las Vegas Raiders in their 27–30 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, though no individual defensive stats were available from the brief. Johnson remains one of the more experienced Weber State products in the league at cornerback and continues to hold a roster spot in Las Vegas's secondary.

The rest of the active Weber State contingent — Damon Bankston (Packers), Jack Kelly (Giants), Iosua Opeta (Eagles), Gavin Ortega (Broncos), Winston Reid (Browns), and Jonah Williams (Saints) — were quiet during the week in terms of notable storylines, but the sheer breadth of Wildcats across NFL rosters is a testament to the program's ability to develop professional talent.

Weber State's most prominent NFL name right now is Rashid Shaheed — and the conversation around him isn't about what he's doing, but what he isn't.

The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver inked a $51 million deal entering this season, but through the early weeks, the production hasn't matched the price tag. In Sunday's narrow 33-31 loss to Washington, Shaheed pulled in just 2 receptions for 14 yards — a quiet afternoon that fits a broader pattern of limited involvement in the Seahawks' passing game.

Head coach Mike Macdonald didn't sugarcoat it — but he didn't panic either. Speaking to reporters this week, Macdonald admitted he didn't have Shaheed's numbers on hand when asked, which was itself a telling detail. He knew where the ball had been going, though: to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has emerged as Seattle's clear No. 1 target. As for Shaheed's share of the offense? Macdonald's message was measured patience: "The ball will find him."

That's a phrase that provides comfort in June. In October, with a $51 million contract on the ledger and a loss in the standings, it starts to sound more like a placeholder than a plan. Macdonald had expressed genuine excitement over the summer about Shaheed's potential, citing a full offseason and training camp as reasons to expect a breakout role. The early returns haven't delivered on that optimism.

To be fair, Shaheed has never been a volume receiver — his game has always been built on explosive plays rather than target-share dominance. The concern isn't that he's running bad routes or struggling to get open; it's that opportunities simply haven't come his way in meaningful numbers. When the targets do flow, the expectation is that the big-play ability that made him a coveted free agent will reassert itself. Macdonald is clearly banking on that.

Still, a $51 million investment demands more than patience talking points by Week 4.

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Elsewhere Around the League

Weber State's other notable NFL alumnus in action this week was cornerback Taron Johnson, now with the Las Vegas Raiders. Johnson's Raiders fell to the New Orleans Saints 35-27 on Sunday — a result that drops Las Vegas further into an early-season hole. Detailed defensive stats for Johnson weren't available from the game log, but the loss continues a rough stretch for a Raiders team still searching for consistency.

The Wildcats' NFL roster remains quietly deep: Iosua Opeta anchors the Eagles' offensive line in Philadelphia, while Jack Kelly (Giants) and Winston Reid (Browns) contribute at linebacker. Jonah Williams continues his pass-rushing role with the Saints, and Gavin Ortega holds down a spot on Denver's offensive line. None generated headline-grabbing stat lines this week, but the sheer number of Weber State products holding NFL roster spots speaks to the program's knack for producing pro-caliber talent.

The spotlight, for now, stays fixed on Shaheed. The talent has never been in question — his explosiveness is the reason Seattle wrote that check. But in a passing offense where Smith-Njigba commands first-look status, Shaheed needs a moment where the ball actually finds him before Macdonald's patience starts wearing thin on the outside.