Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider left fans scratching their heads when he selected running back Zach Charbonnet in the 2023 NFL Draft, just one year after taking Kenneth Walker III, who quickly became the lead back in Seattle.
Although the move was questioned at the time, it became a big reason why the Seahawks were able to sustain drives and win Super Bowl LX over the New England Patriots in 2026. Charbonnet tore his ACL and couldn’t play in the game, but Walker ended up with 135 rushing yards and was named Super Bowl MVP.
A month later, Walker has inked a three-year, $45 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, pairing himself with Patrick Mahomes in the hopes of chasing another ring.
The decision for Walker might have been more straightforward than it initially appeared. According to Seahawks reports Gregg Bell, Walker was “privately irked” by having to share the backfield with Charbonnet. He felt like he could handle the lion’s share of the carries by himself.
“The Seahawks planned all this past season to audition Zach Charbonnet for a possible takeover the lead-back role in 2026,” Bell wrote for The Tacoma News Tribune. Charbonnet shined in a job share that was partly to preserve Walker to get through all 17 games of the regular season. He did, playing a full season for the first time in his four years with the team.”
Walker handled 221 carries for the Seahawks last season, rushing for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns. By comparison, Charbonnet carried the ball 184 times for 730 yards and 12 touchdowns, the most by a Seahawk since Marshawn Lynch in 2014, when the team also won a Super Bowl.
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It wasn’t unusual to see Walker get the carries as the Seahawks drove down the field, only for Charbonnet to enter near the goal line to punch in the touchdown.
Walker had 47% of the offensive snaps for Seattle, while Charbonnet had a 49% share. On paper, it didn’t appear that there was a true lead back.
Seattle likely won’t have Charbonnet ready for Week 1 as he recovers from his injury, leaving the position wide-open to start the year. Meanwhile, Walker will finally have command of the backfield in Kansas City this season.
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