The Seahawks made their choice last offseason: keep Kenneth Walker on a No. 1 running back deal, or spread that money around and preserve more of the Super Bowl core. Seattle went with the second route, and the front office used the savings to bring back wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, cornerback Josh Jobe, and linebacker Drake Thomas, while also handing extensions to Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Devon Witherspoon, Charles Cross, and Leonard Williams. The team then spent a first-round pick on Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price.
On paper, that logic made sense. Walker is 25, but he spent only one full season in Seattle, and he has topped 1,000 yards only twice: as a rookie and in his final season with the Seahawks. Zach Charbonnet was already waiting in the wings, and with him set to come off injured reserve early in the 2026 season, Seattle had reason to believe it could avoid a long-term commitment at a spot that looked like a short-term issue.
That theory is getting tested hard.
While Walker was tearing through the Oakland Raiders for 177 yards in a Kansas City Chiefs win, and scoring two touchdowns in a 19-second burst, Seattle was trying to hold off the Los Angeles Chargers with a backfield that looks nothing like the one it planned for. The Seahawks won 30-23, but only after leaning on a running back group that is patched together and short on answers.
Before the game, Seattle put Price on injured reserve. His rookie year has already been a mess through three games: two fumbles, no touchdowns, and 119 rushing yards.
The chest injury that will keep him out for at least three more games only makes the situation thinner. Charbonnet still wasn’t ready to play, though he was cleared to return to practice this week.
That leaves the Seahawks without the one-two punch they used to close games last season.
The fourth quarter against the Chargers showed exactly how much they miss it. With a 30-13 lead, Seattle tried to salt the game away on the ground.
Instead, the Seahawks’ final two full drives produced just 10 plays, 23 yards, four minutes of possession, and two punts. Even a late-hit penalty that gifted them a fresh set of downs with a little more than two minutes left couldn’t help them put it away cleanly.
Seattle kept sending third-string back Emanuel Wilson and third-down option George Holani into the teeth of the Chargers’ front, and the results were ugly. Wilson finished with 81 yards and a touchdown, but it took 21 carries to get there.
Shaheed got two sweep attempts and picked up nearly half of Wilson’s total on those two touches. Holani managed only 18 yards on seven carries.
That kind of production would look a lot different if Walker were still there. He has opened the season with 537 rushing yards, tops in the NFL through four games, and the 177 he piled up against the Raiders would have looked mighty useful in Seattle’s latest fourth-quarter slog. But the Seahawks have already made their call, and Walker is not coming back.
Now they have to live with it.
Seattle has stayed afloat at 3-1 with a rotating cast in the backfield, but the schedule is about to get a lot less forgiving. The undefeated 49ers are next, then the Broncos, then a home game against Walker and the undefeated Chiefs, followed by the 3-1 Bears.
Price could be back by the Bears game, and Charbonnet should return at some point during that stretch. Seattle doesn’t need either one to match what Walker is doing in Kansas City.
It does need them to offer something close enough to keep defenses honest and stop them from zeroing in on Smith-Njigba. In the meantime, the Seahawks are scrambling for stopgaps.
They explored bringing in former Bengals and Texans back Joe Mixon, but he failed his physical. They also added Robert Henry Jr. from the Commanders’ practice squad.
For now, Wilson sits at the top of the depth chart, whether that was the plan or not. The Seahawks are trying to patch together a running game on the fly, and Walker’s huge start in Kansas City only sharpens the sting. Seattle chose flexibility over paying its star back, and now it’s hoping the numbers and the logic behind that decision still hold up.
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For a Seattle offense still sorting out its weekly identity, Arroyos quiet start raises a practical question as much as a developmental one. John Schneiders public confidence in him suggested the organization saw a bigger future ahead, yet the current usage says the staff is still deciding how, or even whether, to fold him into the game plan in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]