Kenneth Walker III injury history: Every ailment that has kept him out of a game for the Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks simply are not the same without running back Kenneth Walker III. He might not have the same kind of impact as Christian McCaffrey does with the San Francisco 49ers, but the difference is not much. Seattle could run the same kind of offense without Walker, but another running back must step up to fill the void.

That has yet to happen in the last two seasons. Zach Charbonnet has taken over RB1 duties each of the last two seasons that Walker has had to miss games and Charbonnet has only averaged 3.1 yards a carry in three starts. He has rushed for 147 yards on 47 carries. That is not the kind of production that is going to help the Seahawks win many games.

Walker could also miss Week 3 as well. He is listed as doubtful for the game. This means that Charbonnet will once again have an opportunity to be good. If he struggles early against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Seattle might want to think of replacing Charbonnet with Kenny McIntosh. Either way, Walker will be sorely missed.

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III's early career and initial injuries

Walker was drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft after having a productive final season in college at Michigan State. The expectation was that Walker would split time with veteran Rashaad Penny, but Penny was hurt early in the season and Walker took over at RB1.

In his rookie season, he rushed for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns. He finished second in the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. Last year, Walker ran for 905 yards and eight touchdowns even though he was underused in former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's system.

Walker has a unique running style in that his quickness allows him to wait a second before attacking the line of scrimmage. His issue, though, has been a few injuries, especially to his oblique.

Kenneth Walker III suffers sports hernia in 2022

Walker missed what would have been the first game of his NFL career after suffering a sports hernia during the preseason. After returning in Week 2, he did not get more than eight carries in the next four games.

After Penny went down in Week 5, Walker was back to being healthy enough in Week 6 to get 21 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown. In Week 7, Walker exploded for 167 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Kenneth Walker III sprains his ankle in 2022

In Week 13 of the 2022 season, Walker suffered a minor ankle sprain and had to leave the game after only getting three rushes. He missed the next game completely.

Walker made a fairly quick recovery, though, because he returned in Week 15 and played the rest of the season. In his final three games, he ran for at least 107 yards each game. Oddly, he did not score a touchdown rushing the ball after Week 12, though.

Kenneth Walker III strains his oblique in 2023

This was the beginning of what might be a worrying trend for Walker. He strained his oblique in Week 11 and missed the next two games. He was extremely limited when he did return in Week 14. In fact, Walker did not have another 100-yard rushing day after his return and only two of his eight rushing touchdowns came in the final five games.

Kenneth Walker III strains his oblique in 2024

There is no better example of how much Walker means to the Seahawks' offense than the difference between Week 1, when Walker was mostly healthy, and Week 2, when he missed the game and Charbonnet played. In the second half of the season opener, Walker ran for over 80 yards which was a huge reason Seattle was able to get some momentum going. Charbonnet did nothing in Week 2.

Walker is likely to miss two of the first three games of the 2024 season by being forced out of Week 3 with his current oblique injury. If the season is going to be successful for the Seahawks, Walker will need to find a way to stay healthier.

Recurring issues and long-term impact for Kenneth Walker III

The positive to Walker having an oblique injury a couple of times is that at least he has not suffered from a major joint injury. He sprained his ankle once, but that was minor. At least the oblique injuries are normally short-term.

The hope is that Walker returns by Week 4 when the Seahawks schedule begins to get even tougher as Seattle will travel to play the Detroit Lions. With a Walker-less offense, Seattle's offense might be so one-dimensional that they struggle against better teams.

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