The Seattle Seahawks have waived running back Christine Michael, ESPN's Field Yates reports.

Parting ways with Michael amid a season in which he'd finally began to emerge stands as a minor surprise, but the 10 total carries he received over the past few weeks provided a clear indication of a change in the pecking order.

The move clears the way for Thomas Rawls to regain a primary backfield role upon making his healthy return from injury this week, with standout rookie C.J. Prosise serving as a change-of-pace back and passing-down specialist.

Michael had started in seven of his nine appearances to open the season, taking his 117 attempts for 469 yards and six touchdowns before again being sent to the open market.

He'll now be subject to the waiver wire, where a number of contending teams will presumably have interest in making a claim to bolster their backfield depth down the stretch.