Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet pushing Kenneth Walker III for bigger role entering third year: 'He's just a stud'

Kenneth Walker III has been the Seattle Seahawks' top running back option since he entered the NFL as the 41st overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. But, in spite of his feature role, Walker has struggled to stay on the field through his first three years. 

He has yet to play a full season, and he's been limited throughout training camp while dealing with what's been described as a sore foot. That's opened the door for third-year running back Zach Charbonnet, who followed Walker as a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, to carve out an even bigger role. 

The best ability is availability, after all. 

"Zach, he's just a stud," Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said, via ESPN. "He's just everything you want in a person and a football player, that's him."

Charbonnet has earned plenty of reps in his first two seasons with the franchise, thanks in large part to Walker's injury struggles. Walker missed six games last season while dealing with oblique, calf and ankle issues, which allowed Charbonnet to rush for a career-high 569 yards and eight touchdowns on 135 carries. 

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Walker, in comparison, had 542 yards and seven touchdowns. Charbonnet also had the edge with 340 yards and one touchdown receiving, showing that he can bring a comparable level of versatility to the offense in the process. 

To his credit, Walker was able to return to practice earlier in the week, and the expectation is that he will play in Seattle's preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers Saturday. 

"There's a lot of walk-through reps that need to be had, but at some point, to your point, you've got to do it on the field so you feel confident to go out there and execute at a high level and play your best football," Macdonald said. "So that's something that we're working through."