Seahawks’ Zach Charbonnet Gets Good News For 2026

There was very little that went wrong for the Seattle Seahawks from November 17th through February 8th this last season. That span of 83 days saw the team go 10-0, including 3-0 in the playoffs on the way to a comfortable Super Bowl LX victory. There were some bad plays and close calls, to be sure, but not much in terms of meaningful problems.

But one such meaningful problem came on January 17th, a day where the Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 to advance to the NFC Championship Game. Nothing to do with the way the team played that day, of course. The Seahawks were nearly perfect when it came to playing the game of football. But they got hit with a severe injury in the process.

With 3:06 to go in the second quarter, the Seahawks ran Zach Charbonnet on a 3rd and 2. Dee Winters and Eric Kendricks tackled him after a one yard gain, but a defensive penalty on Jordan Elliott kept the drive going. Both of those things were of minor importance in comparison to the injury Charbonnet sustained on the play, which took him out for the rest of the day.

Despite some initial optimism that he had dodged the worst, Charbonnet was announced to have torn his ACL a couple days later, an injury that would obviously end his season and would threaten some of his 2026 campaign as well. It was a tough blow for a player so early into his first postseason action, and he would watch the team win it all from the sideline.

Charbonnet was really getting things going at the end of the season. — Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) evades Carolina Panthers linebacker Christian Rozeboom (56) for the touchdown. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Earlier today, Charbonnet gave us one of the first big milestones on his way back to the football field with a post on Instagram. A picture of him in a hospital bed indicates that he just had surgery on the torn ACL. This sets him up with a reasonable timeline to make it back at some point during the season, although there remains a range of outcomes for exactly when.

Some may wonder why it took nearly five weeks for Charbonnet to go under the knife, but those kinds of waits between the tear and the surgery are relatively common. Per Corbin Smith, ACL recoveries typically take at least eight months, and nine is a more likely outcome, which means that Charbonnet’s best case scenario is a return around late October.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Charbonnet wasn’t ready to go until December, and I’m prepared for him to not be ready to positively contribute even then. Who knows what state he’ll be in coming off such a big injury? It’s a really bad break for Zach, who is entering a contract year in 2026, and may go into free agency in 2027 on the tail of a wasted season.

Will Charbonnet be able to make meaningful contributions to the 2026 Seahawks? — Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) runs after a catch against the Los Angeles Rams. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Charbonnet’s results in 2025 were mixed. He did set a career-best mark in touchdowns with twelve, and generally improved as the year went on. He also had a career worst 4.3 yard per touch average, and was ineffectual on passing downs with his worst season as a receiving back and blocking back. He needed 2026 to solidify himself, and now it seems he won’t have it.

And then you have the other side, which is the fact that the Seahawks need Charbonnet. Ken Walker is a free agent, and even if he’s retained we have plenty of evidence that he needs another capable back to play off of in order to stay upright for a full season. Based on this timeline, they’ll have to find someone else to lean on for the 2026 season.

However, this successful surgery does represent the first step that Charbonnet needs to take to get back to playing football, so we’ll take our wins in whatever form they present themselves.

Related: Buy the new Seahawks championship commemorative Sports Illustrated cover

The team needs a change-of-pace back even if they keep Walker. — Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) scores a touchdown. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Related: Buy the new Seahawks championship commemorative Sports Illustrated cover

More Seahawks On SI stories