Zach Charbonnet’s road back from ACL surgery appears to be moving in the right direction, even if the Seahawks still sound prepared to take the cautious route with their top back.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Charbonnet is “progressing well” in his recovery, a sign that gives Seattle something positive to hold onto as training camp approaches. Fowler also noted a late July check-up, which would line up with the opening stretch of camp and likely provide the first clearer picture from head coach Mike Macdonald.
The Seahawks have already had to reshape the backfield picture quite a bit. Kenneth Walker III, the Super Bowl MVP, is now with the Kansas City Chiefs, and Seattle responded by signing Emanuel Wilson and drafting Jadarian Price in the first round.
For now, the expectation is that Charbonnet could open the season on the PUP list. That’s hardly a surprise given the nature of the injury and the timeline involved.
Charbonnet tore his ACL in the NFC Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers and underwent surgery on Feb. 20.
There was at least one encouraging sign during mandatory minicamp, when Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reported that Charbonnet was on the field doing conditioning work before watching the rest of practice. Condotta added that Charbonnet hadn’t been seen doing any conditioning work during other media-open workouts.
Charbonnet is coming off the best season of his career, finishing with 730 yards and 12 touchdowns. Seattle hasn’t given a firm return date, and the recovery window for an ACL injury is usually about 9-10 months for a full comeback, but the latest update suggests he’s moving in the right direction.
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