Speaking on his weekly radio show on Seattle Sports 710 AM, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald addressed a couple of key injuries the team sustained during its Divisional Round victory against the San Francisco 49ers. One of the injured players appears to be OK. The other is not.
Left tackle Charles Cross is day-to-day with a leg injury, but the team is hoping he will be good enough to play in the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams. Running back Zach Charbonnet will most definitely be out.
Macdonald said that Charbonnet had a "significant" knee injury and said that the running back will need surgery to repair the issue. This implies that Charbonnet won't just miss the rest of the season, of course, but that the beginning of next season could be affected as well.
Seattle Seahawks will be without Zach Charbonnet for the rest of the season
The rest of the playoffs will belong to Kenneth Walker, who had an explosive game against the 49ers. The problem is that Seattle is used to a productive tandem of running backs and not having to rely solely on Walker. Keeping RB1 fresh will be extremely important against the Rams and then, hopefully, the Super Bowl.
For most of the season, Seattle has avoided key injuries, at least those that will keep a player out the rest of the season. Charbonnet's injury will change the game plan a bit, but one wonders if his being hurt will be a more motivating factor for his teammates to win for him.
He is a popular and well-liked player, and every team can always use even more inspiration. A lack of Charbonnet might supply that.
His injury may affect how the Seattle Seahawks approach free agency as well. Charbonnet is still under contract for another year, but Walker is a free agent. The team would certainly not want to enter 2026 without its top two backs from 2025. Walker and Charbonnet work well together, and not having either would be a detriment.
As for the NFC Championship game, Walker will be backed up by Velus Jones, who hasn't had a chance to produce much in the NFL. George Holani might be a solid option, but he has been on injured reserve. Veteran Cam Akers, who is currently on the practice squad, would be the third or fourth option.
Quarterback Sam Darnold appears good to go versus the Rams. His recent oblique injury will be a day-to-day issue.
Update: According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL against the 49ers.