Seahawks insider details why they'll continue Ken Walker-Zach Charbonnet split

Seattle's backfield arrangement may not make much sense on the surface, but there is a method to the madness.

Oct 20, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Houston Texans at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

When the 2025 NFL season started for the Seattle Seahawks at first it appeared thatthe offseason rumors were true: Zach Charbonnet was now the team's RB1. Charbonnet was in the backfeld for most of the first half against the 49ers in Week 1 and got most of the work.

It didn't take long for that theory to prove false, though. Kenneth Walker III exploded in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers for 105 yards on just 13 carries, and the arrangement has been something like a 60-40 split in Walker's favor ever since.

Given how they have performed, it doesn't make much sense on the surface for Charbonnet to continue getting so many carries. For the season he's averaging just 2.8 yards per carry and has a success rate of 43.1%. Walker has a nearly-identical success rate (43.2%) but is averaging 4.5 yards per attempt and has far more explosive runs.

So, what's the deal? Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak hasn't lost his marbles, even though it might seem that way. According to Gregg Bell at the Tacoma News Tribune, Walker is still dealing with the effects of the ankle injury he suffered in December- and the split is intended to keep him healthy for the entire season - H/T to Field Gulls.

Ken Walker load management

"They’re trying to manage Kenneth Walker through the entire season with a foot issue that he has had since August... When I got to Green Bay, I learned that Walker’s foot injury in the summer that was causing him to miss practices in training camp is related to the high ankle sprain that he had in December last year that he ended up on injured reserve."

Apparently Walker is on board with the arrangement so that he can start the whole season and put as much on tape as possible to audition for his next job as free agency approaches in March.

It works out well for Walker's pending free agency, but for Seattle's offense they are regularly putting the ball in the hands of a far less efficient running back. Going into Week 9, Walker has 95 carries compared to 72 for Charbonnet.

If Charbonnet were occasionally breaking off a big run or was an upgrade in any part of the game except pass protection it would make more sense, but as is this is a tough arrangement to swallow.

Hopefully as the season goes on Walker's foot will feel better and he'll be able to handle a full load. Even if not, the Seahawks should consider putting more on his shoulders as the regular season schedule goes on, because it's difficult to justify the current split given how much better Walker has been.

Oct 20, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Texans at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

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