Breer: Charbonnet could be ‘close call’ for Week 1

Charbonnet is still recovering from the torn ACL he suffered in the Divisional Round last year. He can be activated from the PUP list at any time, though the most likely outcome is that he misses all of camp and is then moved to the reserve/PUP list. That would require him to miss at least the first four games of the season. With Kenneth Walker gone, the Seahawks will rely on first-round rookie Jadarian Price to start the year. George Holani and Emmanuel Wilson could also mix in for some touches, with Holani likely operating as the primary option on passing downs.

It has been tough for some to accept that the former undrafted free agent will have a role this season, but reports continue to indicate that Seahawks coaches trust him. Henderson notes that Holani performed well as a fill-in for RB Zach Charbonnet (knee) as a passing game player during the playoffs. Charbonnet has received positive rehab reports, and a Week 1 return is considered possible. In that scenario, Holani could still rotate in as a backup. If Charbonnet is sidelined to begin the year, Holani should handle the passing down role. Whether that usage facilitates a FLEX-worthy workload remains to be seen.

Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in Seattle’s first playoff game during their Super Bowl run. He has done some light work at minicamp and MacDonald hinted that he’s ahead of schedule. It would still be surprising to see Charbonnet on the field for Week 1, but it’s at least a good sign that MacDonald is leaving the door open. If he isn’t ready for the start of the season, George Holani would be in line to back up first-round rookie Jadarian Price. Holani would likely see the bulk of his snaps on passing downs, giving him some RB3 potential in PPR leagues.

Charbonnet went through a high-knees exercise before checking in with a trainer. There isn’t a whole lot to be drawn from this, but we suppose seeing Charbonnet go through rehab drills four months post-op is a positive of sorts. Questions remain as to when Charbonnet will be able to retake the field after undergoing ACL reconstruction this offseason, but he is expected to play at some point this year.

Washington, after excelling at the NFL Combine, has been linked to a few teams, including the Broncos. Bowen said Washington, who went for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns at Arkansas in 2025, would be a solid fit for Seattle’s offense. “Under new coordinator Brian Fleury — who coached with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco — we should expect a run game that leans on motion and movement in both zone and gap concepts,” Bowen said, adding that Washington would likely be a Day Two pick. “Washington has the lateral agility to fit in that scheme, and he can dart through daylight with his 4.33 speed. His frame can handle NFL volume, plus he can produce on swings and screens as a pass catcher.” The Seahawks backfield is in flux after Ken Walker left for Kansas City in free agency and Zach Charbonnet continues to recover from a late-season knee injury. The Seahawks signed former Packers RB Emanuel Wilson in free agency. Washington would make sense for Seattle if the team looks to bolster its backfield in the second or third round.

Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in the Seahawks’ divisional round win over the 49ers last postseason, and didn’t have surgery to repair the injury until February. While there were concerns that Charbonnet may miss all of 2026 due to the timing of his injury and the surgery Macdonald confirmed that he expects to have the fourth-year RB back at some point this season. In the meantime, the loss of Kenneth Walker, combined with Charbonnet’s injury, puts the Seahawks in a unique position at RB to start the year. The team did go out and add Emanuel Wilson via free agency earlier this month, but the Seahawks could be in play for a Day 2 rookie at the position to pair with Wilson, George Holani, and a slew of other backups until Charbonnet is able to return. Charbonnet rushed for a career-high 730 yards and 12 touchdowns last season with the Seahawks and will presumably serve as their RB1 once healthy, but he’s a near lock to open the season on the PUP list, and could miss extensive time to start the year.

Per The Athletic’s Mike Dugar, Schneider “once again brought up Holani unprompted.” Schneider punctuated his thoughts on Holani by saying, “every time he goes in the game, he just performs.” Earlier this week, Dugar said he believes the Seahawks will “probably” use one of their first three picks on a running back, but left Holani out of his comments while exploring the topic. Today, the Seahawks signed former Packers RB Emanuel Wilson, a burly rusher who played well as a backup and fill-in starter last season. The Seahawks used RB Kenneth Walker, now a Chief, as their lead rusher. No. 2 RB Zach Charbonnet, currently rehabbing a torn ACL, led the way on passing downs and in short-yardage and green zone situations. His return date is unknown. Wilson and Holani are a lesser duo, so Dugar’s draft-day expectations have decent odds of coming to fruition. Perhaps Holani will get a chance to compete for a receiving role, though.

Schneider added that Charbonnet’s “outlook is good” before complimenting the running back’s “professionalism, work ethic, etc.” The Seahawks signed the former Packers RB Emanuel Wilson earlier today, who could compete for carries early on if Charbonnet is not ready to play in Week 1. No word yet on Charbonnet’s expected spring and summer participation level.

“If you’re betting on anybody, you’re going to bet on Zach, so we’ll go from there. But he’s not going to do anything in the spring or anything like that,” Macdonald finished. A torn ACL suffered in the playoffs will almost certainly eat into Charbonnet’s regular season. The Seahawks could bring Kenneth Walker back, but if they don’t, Charbonnet may eventually be the lead back in 2026 — it’d just be a matter of when his recovery concluded and how comfortable the team felt giving him the role at that point.

Retaining other free agents and signing Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a new mega-deal are the Seattle’s priorities this offseason. They’ll likely let Walker, Super Bowl MVP who propelled the Seahawks to a championship this season, explore free agency in the coming months. Walker will have a range of suitors, including teams that will surely be willing to make him a clearcut lead back after Walker shared the workload with the ultra-inefficient Zach Charbonnet in 2024 and 2025. Look for Walker to get a huge deal — as far as running back contracts go — from a team ready to make him the centerpiece of their offense. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said the Seahawks front office might “believe that Walker won’t get what he’s looking for on the open market” and make a run at bringing him back to Seattle on a short-term deal.