As expected, the reigning Super Bowl MVP is taking his talents somewhere else. Kenneth Walker III agreed to terms on a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, leaving a massive hole to fill in the Seattle Seahawks' backfield.
However, this was far from surprising. Walker's projected $13 million price tag pretty much priced him out of Seattle, not because they couldn't afford to pay him, but because general manager John Schneider was always unlikely to spend that much on a running back.
Considering that, he may have already considered multiple avenues to replace his veteran running back. Fortunately, their salary cap situation gives them a variety of potential options to choose from right now.
The Seattle Seahawks must find a place-holder for the running game
With Walker out of the picture, most running back-needy teams will likely pivot to Travis Etienne. He's got a reasonable $6.8 million projected market value (per Spotrac), but that price tag is more than likely going up when multiple teams engage in a bidding war for his services. As such, the Seahawks will probably steer clear of him as well.
That leaves them with second-tier options, such as Rico Dowdle and Tyller Allgeier. Both of them have extensive experience as the second wheel in a running back committee, but have enough upside to take things into their own hands if needed. That's right down the Seahawks' alley right now.
Both of them have a price tag around $6.5 million, which is half of what they would've had to pay for Walker. More than that, they can both hold down the fort while Zach Charbonnet works his way back from his season-ending injury. He's expected to be back on the field midway through the season, and both Dowdle and Allgeier can be solid stopgaps while the Seahawks star returns.
They can also turn to the NFL Draft and make a run at someone like Mike Washington Jr., whose performance at the NFL Scouting Combine may have put him on the team's radar at No. 64. He's got the speed and athletic tools to be a contributor from day one.
The Seahawks were tied for the tenth-most rushing yards per game last season (123.3) en route to scoring the third-most points per game (28.4). Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is no longer there, but the running game will remain instrumental to what they do.
However, that doesn't mean they have to break the bank to replace their departing running back, especially with another true workhorse like Charbonnet still on the roster. He might come with some risk after such a serious knee injury, but they might be better off going after a proven RB2 instead of spending big bucks on a mid-tier RB1 like Etienne.