Macdonald: Charbonnet (knee) won’t play Week 5

The Seahawks opened Charbonnet’s practice window on Thursday, but he is not yet ready to return. Charbonnet’s left quad is noticeably thinner than his right quad, and Macdonald explained that there is “a process to get him physically and mentally ready to go.” That said, Macdonald also said the veteran running back “looks fantastic.” Stash him now.

Charbonnet is not guaranteed to play in Week 4 against the Chargers, but his return to practice is promising. Add him now. Seahawks rookie, Jadarian Price (chest), went from a limited session on Wednesday to sitting out on Thursday. Keep a close eye on this. Backup Emanuel Wilson would get the start if both Charbonnet and Price are sidelined, while George Holani handles passing downs.

Charbonnet will return to practice this week. The team now has 21 days to officially activate him from the injured reserve. It’s unclear how much of that window they will use to get him up to full speed. He has to miss at least one more game while on the PUP list. Charbonnet tore his ACL in Seattle’s first playoff game last year. The team talked about his quick recovery throughout the offseason and that will be the case, even if he uses all three weeks of his practice window. Once he returns, Charbonnet will at least take over the roles of George Holani and Emanuel Wilson, who have been splitting the backfield with Jadarian Price so far. He could even work himself into the starting job if Price continues to struggle with fumbles.

The fact that this is even being considered is good news. Rookie RB Jadarian Price has not yet carved out a featured role for himself, so Charbonnet could feasibly return to his 2025 role—or more. If available, he is probably worth stashing in 12-team leagues at this time.

Charbonnet still has to sit out two more games while on the PUP list, but he’s eligible to have his three-week practice window opened. That won’t happen this week, though it doesn’t give us much info on his return timeline. Macdonald previously said Charbonnet remained on track with his aggressive timetable, which is, again, rather vague. Fantasy managers with an IR spot can consider stashing Charbonnet, but he’s not worth the roster spot otherwise.

Macdonald wouldn’t reveal what the timetable was for Charbonnet’s return, but said the fourth-year back has looked “dang good” as he continues his rehab. Charbonnet will open this season on the PUP list, meaning he’ll be forced to miss at least the first four games of the season before the team can consider activating him to play. Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in last year’s NFC Divisional Round game against the 49ers and is less than seven full months removed from the reconstruction surgery that took place on February 20th. The timing of his injury, coupled with the surgery, led many to believe Charbonnet would miss a significant portion of the season, but this talk of an “aggressive” timetable suggests he could be back far earlier than expected.

Destin reasonably wonders, “how much can Seattle feature Price as a pass catcher if he’s not trusted to block on third down?” He also thinks RB Zach Charbonnet (knee) will replace Holani whenever Charbonnet returns. Destin adds that “Price was not drafted as a direct replacement for Walker,” though he expects Price to handle a similar role. Losing high-value touches to Holani and Charbonnet could keep Price stuck in the RB3/FLEX tier, though, in a sense, he controls his own destiny and could force the coaching staff to increase his red zone usage with high-quality play.

Though Price did not play a single preseason snap and has missed time over the past few weeks with muscle soreness, he is widely expected to function as Seattle’s lead back in Week 1 against the Patriots, with Zach Charbonnet (knee) on the PUP list to begin the regular season. Holani, however, should see significant usage in the Seahawks backfield. His “receiving and pass-blocking skills seem perfectly suited for third-down work,” Henderson said. Emanuel Wilson, Henderson added, will be the “power complement to those two” if he’s fully recovered from an undisclosed injury. “Whatever plan Seattle has going into Week 1 will start to change once Charbonnet returns,” Henderson said. “Whenever Charbonnet is all the way back, it’s easy to envision the Seahawks splitting the work in their backfield fairly evenly between him and Price the way they did last season with Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III.” Sam Darnold has called Price a “special player” who excels as a pass catcher. For now it appears he’ll be an early-down option for Seattle’s offense.

After months of Seahawks front office officials and coaches saying Charbonnet could be active for Week 1 against the Patriots, he’ll miss at least the first four games of the regular season as he recovers from his 2025 ACL tear. That leaves rookie RB Jadarian Price as the likely lead back to start the season, with George Holani perhaps functioning as the backfield’s pass-catching option and potential goal line back. Price, who missed time with lower body injuries in August, should be a full go for Week 1. He should be treated as a flex option to start the year.

Breer continues that the Seahawks are “going to be smart with him.” We’d be floored by a Week 1 return given Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL just last January, but the Seahawks haven’t really put out a real timetable on his status. Seahawks coach Mike McDaniel said in June that “everything’s possible” when asked about Charbonnet playing in Week 1, but didn’t elaborate much on the odds. It does sound like even if Charbonnet is placed on the reserve/PUP list at the end of camp, he’d have a real shot to play in October.