Kenneth Walker III’s return to Seattle for a Sunday night matchup with the Chiefs didn’t just stir up old feelings about a former Seahawks back. It reopened the whole debate over what John Schneider should have done, what he might still do, and whether Seattle’s answer at running back is already on the roster or out there on the trade market.
Walker, now getting $14.3 million a year from Kansas City, has become the center of the conversation for a fan base that watched Seattle move on and then watched the run game struggle. That has fueled talk about whether Schneider should have paid him, and whether the Seahawks should now swing for a name back such as Jonathan Taylor or Saquon Barkley.
Schneider is reportedly considering Taylor, who said in 2020 that he would love to be drafted by the Seahawks. But any move there would mean a major commitment of both draft capital and money, and that’s where the conversation gets tricky.
Walker never really looked like a back Seattle could build around on his own. He kept getting banged up whenever the workload increased, so Mike Macdonald turned him into part of a timeshare with Zach Charbonnet.
That setup worked well in 2025, until Charbonnet tore his ACL in the divisional playoff game against San Francisco. Walker then took over, played brilliantly, was named Super Bowl MVP and landed his big-money deal from the Chiefs.
Schneider’s track record at running back helps explain why he let that happen. Outside of Marshawn Lynch, he has never paid a running back top money, and outside of Lynch he has never had one who truly warranted it. He reportedly never made Walker an offer, and that almost certainly reflected the reality that Walker was going to get more than Seattle was willing to spend.
Instead, Schneider tried to replace both Walker and the recovering Charbonnet by bringing in Emanuel Wilson on a cheap deal and using his first-round pick on Jadarian Price. That plan has not gone well.
Price flashed burst early, but he also fumbled twice before an injury sent him to injured reserve. By Week 7, Seattle sat 18th in rushing yards per game at 107, 18th in yards per carry at 3.9 and 30th in rushing EPA.
The offense had trouble getting anything going on the outside, where backs were often getting hit before they could even get started.
The ball-security issues piled up too. Price, Wilson and George Holani all had game-changing fumbles - Price against Washington, Wilson and Holani in the loss to the 49ers.
Walker, meanwhile, was tearing it up in Kansas City before facing Seattle. He led the league with 665 rushing yards and a 6.3 average, and he was on pace for more than 2,200 yards. That was enough to send Seahawks fans into full-on Chiefs-red frustration.
It is hard not to look at those two close losses and wonder what would have happened with Walker in Seattle. The Seahawks fell 33-31 at Washington and 32-29 to San Francisco, and the running back miscues in those games directly led to touchdowns for the other side.
Walker doesn’t fumble often - his last one came in December 2024 - while Sam Darnold also threw costly interceptions in both games. Still, Price’s turnover against Washington and Holani’s end zone fumble against San Francisco were effectively the difference.
At the same time, Walker’s numbers in Kansas City should not be treated like a straight line back to Seattle. The Seahawks’ play-calling from Brian Fleury and the blocking up front have been major obstacles, and Walker would not be producing anywhere near this level if he were still in Seattle. The offensive environment matters, and it matters a lot.
That is why the bigger question is whether Schneider is willing to change course now. A lot of fans believe the Seahawks are one elite runner away from fixing the ground game, which is why Barkley’s name has been floated and now Taylor’s has entered the mix.
Barkley could be in play because the Eagles are fading after Lane Johnson’s retirement, the trade of Cam Jurgens and the season-ending blood-clot situation with Jalen Hurts. Barkley is also coming off a hamstring injury.
Taylor, meanwhile, looks available in a different way. The Colts just fired GM Chris Ballard and are expected to consider moving veteran talent if the losses keep stacking up before the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
They are 2-5 after losing to Minnesota today.
Taylor is still playing at a high level. He is 27, in his prime, with 587 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in seven games, including 95 yards and a score against Minnesota.
But the price would be steep. He would likely cost a first-round pick, and his contract carries $34 million over the next two years, plus the prorated portion of his $8 million this season.
That creates a real philosophical test for Schneider. After already using a first-round pick on Price, would he want to double up at the same position with another premium pick and a big salary?
Would he trust Taylor more than Walker was trusted in Seattle? And would he believe the offensive line is good enough to make such an investment pay off?
There is another option on the Colts roster that some think makes more sense: six-time All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson. Because he is a free agent after the season, the trade price should be lower.
A deal could resemble the 2 and 5 Schneider sent to the Giants for Leonard Williams in 2023, with Anthony Bradford potentially going the other way. Seattle would likely try to get Indianapolis to cover most of Nelson’s prorated salary, which is about $900,000 per week, and the Seahawks have under $13 million in cap space.
But that route would also force Seattle to make a line decision. Would Nelson slide in at guard, or would Grey Zabel move?
And if Schneider did trade for Nelson, he would then have to pay him at the top of the guard market next offseason, where the number would be around $25 million a year. Schneider has also lost some of those second-round-style bets before, notably with Sheldon Richardson and Jadeveon Clowney.
For now, Schneider and Macdonald will be watching Bradford, and they’ll also be watching how the return of Charbonnet and Price plays out, possibly as soon as Week 8 against Chicago. They may get two games with all three backs available to decide whether the offense needs a deadline fix.
But the sense here is that Seattle may already be committed to its current backfield plan. The Price pick is part of that reality, and adding Taylor - or Barkley - would mean piling more draft resources, cash and cap space into the position. Nelson would make more sense only if Seattle had a clear plan for the line and was ready to pay him next offseason.
In the end, the most likely outcome may be no move at all. Schneider and Macdonald could simply stand pat and hope the offense comes together once everyone is back.
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