The Seattle Seahawks are unlikely to franchise tag running back Kenneth Walker III. General manager John Schneider simply doesn't like doing such things. The GM has only tagged two players in his 16 seasons on the job, and one was under a previously worked-out sign-and-trade deal with Frank Clark.
This means, of course, that Walker could leave in free agency and Seattle would have to replace him. Backup Zach Charbonnet is the logical guy to do that, but he tore his ACL in the Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers and is questionable for the start of next season. Even if healthy, general manager John Schneider will want to add another RB to recreate a top-end duo.
Walker's potential replacement could come from lots of different areas. Seattle could draft a back in the second round (Walker and Charbonnet were both second-round selections), sign a less-expensive free agent than Walker, or trade for a running back.
Three running backs who could replace Kenneth Walker for the Seattle Seahawks
Schneider will weigh his options, of course. He will make a smart move, though losing Kenneth Walker would be difficult.
Running back Breece Hall
Imagine what Hall could do with a decent offensive line. He has somehow managed to average 4.5 yards per carry over the course of his career (755 rushing attempts), and has had at least 1,359 yards from scrimmage in each of the past three seasons. He's good and would be better on a better team.
Hall doesn't have Walker's top-end speed (few RBs do), but he is consistent in his approach and can carry would-be tacklers at times. He has also averaged 8.7 yards per catch, a solid number for a back. 27 total touchdowns with a terrible New York team in his career isn't too shabby.
The issue is that, according to Spotrac, Hall is projected to be more expensive than Walker. Hall's new deal could pay him $10.4 million a season. Walker's is projected to pay him $9 million a year.
Trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for Kaleb Johnson
Would the Pittsburgh Steelers give up on Johnson after just one season? Probably. The third-round pick in 2025 wasn't productive in his first season with the team (28 rushes for 69 yards in 10 games), and he is a bad fit in new head coach Mike McCarthy's system.
Johnson is nowhere near as explosive as Walker and runs more like Charbonnet. John Schneider might want to replace Walker with a back closer to his skill set to pair with Charbonnet, whenever he comes back from injury. The thunder and lightning backfield worked well.
Still, if the trade value isn't terrible, Schneider might take a chance. The other issue is that the Seahawks don't have many draft picks in 2026 (four total, and only one after the third round), so Pittsburgh would have to be happy with a sixth-round choice in return for Johnson.
Draft Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price in the third round
Price will be overshadowed in the 2026 NFL draft by his Notre Dame teammate, Jeremiyah Love, as he should be. Not that Price is bad because he certainly isn't, but Love should be an elite back in the league. Still, Price could be very productive in new Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury's system, which is likely to feature a wide zone blocking scheme.
He is less bruiser than Charbonnet and not as fast as Walker (again, few backs are), but he is definitely athletic enough to be a consistent performer. At 5'11" and 210 pounds, he should be able to take a bit of punishment that all NFL running backs do.
He makes smooth cuts, sees the field well, and likes to score. His biggest drawback in college was that he tended to fumble at the worst times (three near the goal line in his last season). Still, Price is almost certain to go in rounds two or three, and maybe Schneider can get him in that latter round.