The 40-yard dash time is the gold standard when discussing an NFL player’s speed. But for many positions, it is not particularly meaningful. I mean, does it bother you that Jalen Sundell runs a 5.19? That actually used to be pretty good for a center, but these days, it’s a mediocre time. Still, it didn't stop Sundell from being the starting center for the Super Champion Seattle Seahawks.
At running back, I’d rather have a player with an elite 10-yard split and a modest 40. Of course, I’d prefer both. That’s what Seattle had and lost in Kenneth Walker III. That’s what they need to find some way to replace this offseason.
The one back they have signed, Emanuel Wilson, does not offer that instant speed. Another back they have been linked to, Brian Robinson Jr., doesn’t offer it either. That’s not to say Wilson and possibly Robinson will not be strong additions to the Seahawks backfield. But they will not take Kenneth Walker’s place.
Who will provide the lightning in the Seattle Seahawks backfield in 2026?
Seattle had a classic lightning and thunder tandem in 2025 – at least until the thunder tore ligaments in his knee. Walker was the lightning. He could strike from anywhere. He forced safeties to keep an eye on him because if he escaped the line, he had the speed to turn the corner and run away from every defender.
Zach Charbonnet was the thunder, pounding the ball at the defense. He was dynamite in short yardage sets. In truth, Walker had excellent power and Charbonnet had decent speed. Together, they were tough to stop.
Currently, Seattle has no back who can approach Walker’s 4.38 40 speed. Most of the other backs run in the 4.5 range. More importantly, none can equal Walker’s 1.49 10-yard split speed. That is vital for a running back. The 40 time may show whether he can pull away from speedy defenders in the open field. The 10-yard split shows whether he can ever get into the open field to begin with.
That is what the Seahawks are missing without Walker.
Where can they turn to supply that type of running play – the kind that diverts a defense’s attention and opens up the field for other players?
Now, I misspoke a moment ago. Seattle does, in fact, have a running back with an even better 40 time than Walker. The problem is – he’s not really a running back. Velus Jones only transitioned from receiver to running back a few years ago. He shows none of the instincts or vision that a running back develops over time.
Cam Akers once had an elite 10-yard split – even better than Walker’s – but that was two torn Achilles tendons ago. He is not the same runner he once was.
Look at the All-Pro running backs from 2025. There were four. Only Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor runs a sub-4.4 forty. The others – Bijan Robinson, Christian McCaffrey, James Cook – all run between 4.4 and 4.5. That’s very fast, especially given their power. But that’s not where they are elite.
They are elite in those first ten yards. Every one of them runs a ten-yard split under 1.55. Walker runs an exceptional 1.49.
Before his injury, Charbonnet was in that 1.55 range. That’s one reason he has been so good, despite his relatively mundane 40 time. Hopefully, he will come back just as strong and as fast after recovering from his injury.
But if Seattle intends to scare defenses with its running attack in 2026, it somehow needs to find a replacement for Walker.
Let’s be clear. They will not find another Kenneth Walker at this point. There are not a lot of running backs who combine his speed, power, and vision. No free agent is floating around out there who can do what Walker did last year. After Jeremiyah Love, there is no one in the draft.
John Schneider may gamble on one of the speedier runners in the third round this year – someone like Arkansas’ Mike Washington or Alabama’s Jam Miller. They both have remarkable acceleration for such big, powerful runners. But neither has anything approaching Walker’s elusiveness – that ability to pause in the hole and then burst to the edge that we saw throughout the 2025 season.
If there’s no one in the draft, and no one in free agency, and no one in-house, where does Seattle turn?
Again, I misspoke. There is someone in-house.
He’s a player whom Schneider went to great lengths to retain this offseason, paying above what most analysts identified as the market price.
Anyone who watched Seattle in the second half of 2025 recognized that Schneider did not give Rashid Shaheed a three-year/$51 million contract to simply be a receiver who averages about 50 catches a year. He got that money in part because he is arguably the best all-around kick returner in the NFL.
And I’m beginning to think that he also got that contract because Brian Fleury intends to involve Shaheed far more in the running game in 2026. Seattle tried that last season with limited success. Shaheed usually got one run per game, and except for one 31-yard pitch sweep against the Rams in week 16, those runs produced mostly modest gains.
But with a full offseason to incorporate him – to get the timing right – I expect the wide receiver will become a much more important part of the running attack.
He won’t be Kenneth Walker. Not even close. But the threat of that speed might have a similar effect. Seattle needs that if their offense is going to remain as productive as it was last year.