The Seattle Seahawks will be without one of their top players for the rest of the 2024 season. Seattle placed running back Kenneth Walker III on injured reserve on Thursday, effectively ending his season. The Seahawks made the move hours ahead of their Thursday night Week 17 matchup with the Chicago Bears.
In a corresponding move, the Seahawks signed running back George Holani of the practice squad to fill Walker’s spot on the active roster. The team also elevated veteran cornerback and former first-round pick Artie Burns.
Walker missed two games earlier this year with an oblique injury. A calf injury sidelined him for Seattle’s Week 14 win over the Cardinals as well as during its Week 15 loss to the Packers.
In all, Walker played in 11 games this season, rushing for 573 yards and seven touchdowns. He also set career highs with 46 receptions and 299 yards. Walker also caught a touchdown pass during Seattle’s Week 7 win over Seattle.
A 2022 second-round pick, Walker has proven to be effective when healthy. He rushed for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie and picked up 905 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. Walker exceeded 1,110 all-purpose yards both years.
Injuries, however, have hindered Walker’s availability. He missed two games apiece during his first two seasons and will miss six games this season.
Walker’s absence has created more opportunities for backup Zach Charbonnet, a 2023 second-round pick who leads Seattle with eight touchdown runs. Charbonnet, who played well in a limited role last year, capped off his college career with a standout season at UCLA, rushing for 1,359 yards and 14 touchdowns while averaging a whopping 7.0 yards-per-carry.
“You guys have been exposed to Zach [Charbonnet] longer than I have,” Seahawks first-year head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters earlier this week. “To me, it seems like he’s been the same guy since we [drafted him]. That’s one of the things you love about him, he’s the same guy every day. Incredibly prepared, runs the ball tough, runs it hard. I think he’s growing as a player and as a person, but that just speaks to his work ethic.”
The Seahawks will need Charbonnet to be at his best during the season’s final two weeks. Seattle (8-7) is currently battling with five other teams to capture one of the remaining three NFC playoff spots.
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