One of the biggest questions the Seattle Seahawks have in free agency is how much to offer running back Kenneth Walker to re-sign with the team. Part of that amount could be predicated on the health of Zach Charbonnet, and head coach Mike Macdonald just delivered some possible hope for a quicker-than-expected return for Charbonnet.
Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers. He had to wait to have surgery until the swelling on his knee had gone down. Macdonald hinted that the surgery went well, which is important as the head coach is becoming notorious for not offering much information on injuries.
As far as how soon Charbonnet might return, Macdonald said that the verdict on the injury was "more optimistic than it was initially. So, that’s exciting. Being able to come back at an earlier time, it’s hard to put a timetable on those things. If you’re betting on anybody, you’re going to bet on Zach. We’ll go from there. He’s not going to do anything in the spring."
Mike Macdonald implies Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet could be back sooner than first expected
The usual way Macdonald answers injury questions is more of a wait-and-see manner, along with an emphasis that he isn't a doctor. The head coach isn't trying to be rude, of course. He's being honest, and he's hesitant to get too much information because timeframes on players returning from being hurt can change.
That Macdonald said anything positive about Charbonnet implies that things are extremely positive about the situation. The running back won't participate in minicamp in the spring, but he doesn't need to.
The initial expectation was that Charbonnet, the thunder to Kenneth Walker's lightning, might miss the first part of 2026. His absence, coupled with Walker's potential leaving in free agency, would leave the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks without a proven running back.
The presumed backups are George Holani and Kenny McIntosh, both of whom have dealt with injuries of their own and never had to be RB1 for Seattle. Neither should currently be counted on to be the lead back in new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury's offense.
Maybe Charbonnet shouldn't be either. Even if his surgery went well, he still has to rehab his ACL. That could take longer than expected.
The hope, of course, is that his injury now is not a problem later. Maybe the Seattle Seahawks re-sign Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet comes back fully by Week 1 of 2026, and the team just resets from 2025. That season, as 12s all know, turned out pretty well.