Panthers Should Be Wary Of Potential Kenneth Walker III Signing, Insider Claims

NFL free agency officially starts on March 11th, 2026, at 4 PM EST, and the biggest target on the board is Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III.

The Carolina Panthers have been linked to Walker III on numerous occasions, and Carolina could potentially use another stud running back in the backfield since Rico Dowdle is expected to leave.

Let’s have a conversation about Kenneth Walker III pic.twitter.com/BNt8Sly6yo
— ᴅᴏxx ⚡️ (@new_era72) January 27, 2026

There are some who think there should be some caution behind signing Kenneth Walker III, even going as far as predicting he’ll be a “free-agency bust” in 2026.

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport dropped his list of five free-agent busts waiting to happen, and on that list was Walker. Despite Walker winning the Super Bowl 60 MVP, Davenport is worried about paying Kenneth Walker III top dollar, given his injury history.

Why It’s Correct to Be Wary of Kenneth Walker III

Kenneth Walker III with the Lombardi Trophy — Feb 9, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III speaks flanked by the Vince Lombardi trophy during the Super Bowl LX winning head coach and most valuable player press conference at Moscone Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kenneth Walker III had an awesome postseason, but as Davenport correctly brings up, those numbers that Walker III put up in the postseason wouldn’t have been the same if the other half of the Seattle backfield duo was healthy, in Zach Charbonnet.

In Walker’s tenure with Seattle, he’s never had to carry a heavy load as he did in this past postseason, and while he exceled in doing so, it may not be sustainable.

Kenneth Walker III wrote Zach Charbonnet’s jersey number (26) on his wrist during the Super Bowl as a tribute to his co-RB and friend on the biggest stage🥺

Walker was named Super Bowl LX MVP and rushed for 135 yards.

(h/t @Seahawks, @andrewquinny) pic.twitter.com/uLJKLhJtck
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) February 9, 2026

Walker has a history of injuries, and while it didn’t bite him in 2025, it sure did in 2024, with both oblique injuries and an ankle injury that led to his placement on IR late in that season. Walker also dealt with a groin injury in 2022

The other reason to be cautious about Walker is that he’s going to be extremely pricey. Walker is going to get paid more than $10 million per season with the new deal he has coming, and while his playoff run was awesome, paying a running back that much can cause significant cap issues for building the rest of the roster.

What The Panthers Should Do Instead

GM Dan Morgan — Aug 2, 2025; Charlottle, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers team manager Dan Morgan during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Brining in another running back in free agency isnt a bad idea at all, but potentially making Kenneth Walker III the most money a running back has ever made would cause problems.

Instead, the Panthers should look toward a veteran running back, or a young running back who needs a fresh start, and target short-term deals, keeping the cap space manageable and keeping Carolina flexible for other moves as well.

There's no denying Walker's talent, but running back just isn't the top priority for the Panthers' free agency cycle; there are other positions that are of much greater need, including linebacker, safety, and maybe even wide receiver.