The Seattle Seahawks were dealt a huge blow late in the season. Losing Zach Charbonnet to a season-ending injury could've thrown a huge wrench in their Super Bowl aspirations before Kenneth Walker III went nuclear in the playoffs.
Now, Walker is expected to be the most sought-after name in the running back market. As such, the Seahawks will allow him to test the field, and while they will be in communication with him to reach a potential deal, they will probably let him walk if someone else is willing to go over their preferred price tag.
As such, and considering the underwhelming running back market, the Seahawks might choose not to replace him. Instead, they can go after a cheap pickup like Jaleel McLaughlin to be Charbonnet's backup.
The Seattle Seahawks don't need to spend big to replace Kenneth Walker III
According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, the Denver Broncos won't tender McLaughlin, so he'll be a free agent. Per Spotrac, he made just $1 million last season, and with Over The Cap valuing him at roughly $900K, the Seahawks won't need to spend big bucks to add a veteran running back.
Of course, that's not to say he'll slide into Kenneth Walker's role, but he can be a solid complementary piece to Charbonnet. Despite not being the starter, the UCLA product logged 730 rushing yards and a whopping 12 rushing touchdowns, so he's clearly more than ready to embrace a bigger role as the lead back.
McLaughlin, on the other hand, averaged five yards per carry for the Broncos last season. It was a small sample size, with just 37 carries, but it was still impressive. He has never averaged fewer than 4.4 yards per carry in his three years in the league, and he's also a factor in the passing game, with 59 receptions on 69 targets in his three years in the league.
According to Over The Cap, the Seahawks have a whopping $58 million in available cap space, so they can certainly afford to keep Walker if they choose to. Even so, winning teams don't usually overpay for running backs once their first contract runs out.
Their other options include the likes of Travis Etienne, Rico Dowdle, Tyler Allgeier, or Isiah Pacheco. Most of them won't be game-changers anyway, and with just four draft picks, they might be better off signing a proven veteran like McLaughlin over an undrafted free agent in a thin running back class.