Kenneth Walker III of the Seattle Seahawks has seen the end of his 2024 season. The running back has been dealing with ankle and calf injuries for weeks and the team placed him on injured reserve on Thursday. As Seattle is probably not going to make the postseason, this likely means Walker can start getting ready for 2025. Sure, Seattle could still win the NFC West, but Walker won't make it back for the playoffs.
That is not official, of course. Maybe Seattle goes on an unexpected run and wins their next two games while the Los Angeles Rams lose to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17. In that situation, Seattle makes the postseason, but for Walker to return this season, Seattle would have to win a couple of games in the playoffs. He would return for the NFC Championship game.
Let's be real. That is not going to happen.
Kenneth Walker III's health is a real concern for the Seattle Seahawks moving forward
Even if it does, then the Seahawks would have won four straight games with Zach Charbonnet likely getting most of the carries for the Seahawks. Removing Charbonnet and re-inserting Walker as RB1 would be a mistake, especially as Walker would probably get injured quite soon after he comes back. That has been his way in his third season.
That is also why Seattle might need to re-think its running back room next year. Walker is under contract through 2025 and he isn't going anywhere, nor should he. But he has not shown he has the best and most important of talents: Staying healthy. Marshawn Lynch, the best and most important of Seahawks running backs (OK, maybe that's Shaun Alexander, but still...), could do it. Walker cannot.
The NFL is a tough business, and running backs are a value-diminished group because they take a ton of punishment, and have a shorter career than most other position groups. Walker can create a bunch of explosive plays if healthy, but he will have missed six games this season by the end of the regular season. He missed two in each of his first two seasons, but he is digressing.
He also has not been overly effective this season because his running style has him hesitate many times before attacking the line of scrimmage. Charbonnet might not be as explosive, but he hits holes faster and grings out four yards more often than Walker who takes a lot of tackles for loss. Charbonnet has the better average of yards per carry this season, too (4.3 for Charbonnet, and 3.7 for Walker).
This is meant as no disrespect to Walker. He probably wants to play. He is not Rashaad Penny, after all. But Walker is trending more toward Penny's career arc and missing a lot of games. If he is not healthy through most of 2025 then the Seahawks need to let him walk and make Charbonnet RB1.