The Seattle Seahawks' 3-3 start has created a cottage industry of blame and fault-finding. One popular scapegoat has been the running game. Or, to be precise, the lack of one. The solution isn't a trade; at least not the proposed trades we see so often.
The easiest complaint is that Seattle never should have let Ken Walker III go in free agency. Hindsight is great, isn't it? Here's the thing. If you watch any of Kansas City's games, you'll see a different K9. He isn't hesitating at the line he did too often in Seattle. He gets to the line, makes a cut, and he's gone. Different coaching, different offensive line, different player.
It doesn't matter now. This may go down as another of the Seahawks' rare bad moves, like the trades for Jimmy Graham or Jamal Adams. But we're only six weeks into this season, so it's too early to send out distress signals. And it's never a good time to panic and make the wrong move.
The Seattle Seahawks have Zach Charbonnet is right there
Now, I'm not saying a trade would be a bad thing. After all, where would the Seahawks be if they hadn't traded for Ernest Jones before the deadline in 2024? Or Leonard Williams the year before that? Rashid Shaheed may not have been the receiver Seattle expected, but he was certainly instrumental in the Seahawks' return game. So yes, midseason trades can make a huge difference.
But when it comes to Seattle's running game, I'm not at all convinced a trade is in order. At least not some of the proposals I've seen floated. While a move for Saquon Barkley would be nice, there are far too many questions that need answers. What will the Eagles accept in trade, how healthy is Barkley, and... well, those two are enough.
Some of the other names I've seen out there are frankly ill-considered. Braelon Allard from the Jets is a good young player, and Tony Pollard from the Titans is certainly better. As Pollard is in the final year of his deal, the Titans might even let him go for as little as a fourth-round or even a fifth-round pick.
But Seattle already has the answer on their roster. Even if they got Saquon Barkley and he was suddenly healthy, he'd need time to acclimate to a new offense. Maybe only a week, but with the Seahawks at 3-3, the calendar is rolling. And Zach Charbonnet may be ready to go for Week 7. Jadarian Price should follow in just a week or so himself.
Yes, Price has had issues with ball security. He's also been far more effective than Emanuel Wilson. Price has averaged 4.3 yards per carry compared to Wilson's 3.5, and picked up first downs on 29 percent of his attempts compared to Wilson's 20 percent. Absolutely, the fumbles are a concern. But you can't overlook the production, either.
As for Charbonnet, it seems like a lot of 12s have forgotten that he ran for 12 touchdowns last year, while Walker only had five. K9 had by far the better average, 4.6 yards compared to 4.0 for Charbonnet. But when the Seahawks had to move the chains, number 26 got the call. He converted 26 percent of his carries into first downs, while Walker converted 21 percent.
Charbonnet is the better pass blocker of the two as well, although no one's going to confuse him for Mack Strong. He may not be the breakaway threat that Walker is, but overall, he's an exceptional back. He's equally good as a receiver, better as a blocker (and the Seahawks could use some pass protection), and a tough runner.
What's crazy is that the running game is even seen as the problem at all. Admittedly, the Seahawks only ran for 84 yards in Week 1, 87 in Week 3, and 60 in Week 6. Oh, my bad; those are the stats from 2025. This year, Seattle has run for 643 yards through the first six games. In 2025, they only had 625. They averaged 3.7 yards per carry in those first six games, while this year, they're averaging 3.9 yards.
So does the running game really need to be saved by a trade? Or does Seattle need to stop making stupid penalties (or maybe just get a decent officiating crew)? It might help to not give 21 points away to the opposition with ridiculously short fields, as they did to the Niners. Patience is a virtue, one the Seahawks would be wise to employ here.
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