The Seattle Seahawks let reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III walk away in free agency -- no pun intended. They replaced him with Emanuel Wilson in what might be one of the biggest positional downgrades in recent Seahawks history.
That should've been the first sign that Zach Charbonnet's injury recovery is going according to plan. They had more than enough money to go big-name hunting, and somewhat staying put was a positive sign.
Then, making an appearance on Wyman and Rob, Seahawks GM John Schneider revealed that Charbonnet's outlook is "positive." As such, it's safe to say that the Seahawks are likely done adding bodies to the RB room.
The Seattle Seahawks' backfield looks all set
Emanuel Wilson is a solid backup, but he's clearly not a starting-caliber running back. In 41 appearances with the Green Bay Packers, the former undrafted free agent had 242 carries for 1,083 yards and seven scores, adding 170 yards and another touchdown. He was efficient in a limited role and not much more.
Schneider also praised George Holani's pass-protection in the playoffs, adding that he was "awesome" and that his efforts shouldn't be overlooked. Reading between the lines, that means the running back room is all but set.
Charbonnet suffered a delicate injury at the worst possible time, but he's still expected to be back at some point in the season. He's been a part of a committee for his entire career, but he has the skill set to be the primary ball-carrier once he's back to full strength.
More than that, just because the Seahawks had all that money to spend doesn't mean they should've gone after the biggest names in the market. Someone was always going to overpay for Kenneth Walker, and the rest of the free agent class was rather unimpressive.
Instead of giving Travis Etienne four years and being stuck with him through his age-30 season, Schneider assessed the field and found a much cheaper option for his backfield. He just needs someone to hold down the fort long enough until Charbonnet is back on the field.
Whether this will be the right approach or not remains to be seen, but Schneider certainly deserves the benefit of the doubt after putting together two entirely different Super Bowl-winning teams. More than that, it looks like his plan was always to let Walker go and give Charbonnet the ignition keys, so even though the circumstances have changed, the vision didn't.