The Seattle Seahawks have a long tradition of top-tier running backs.
Marshawn Lynch, Shaun Alexander, Chris Warren, Chris Carson, Curt Warner — All have dominated in the Seahawks backfield.
That all changed last season. With new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, the Seahawks shifted their focus away from the ground game. Then-quarterback Geno Smith shattered the franchise record for passing attempts in a single season while playing behind a patchwork offensive line and seeing lead running back Kenneth Walker III miss a chunk of time with injuries. The Seahawks never were able to establish the ground game, and Smith was often running around for his life in collapsing pockets.
The Seahawks moved on from Grubb in the offseason, bringing in Clint Kubiak from the New Orleans Saints to take over offensive play-calling. Head Coach Mike McDonald excels on the defensive side of the ball and wants an offense that can keep the game close and minimize turnovers. The Seahawks didn’t have that last year, but they hope that all changes when the season opener rolls around on September 7 against San Francisco.
With a revamped offensive line, blocking fullbacks, several new tight ends, and an entirely revamped quarterback room, the Seahawks will likely turn back to the running game to establish a pace and possession.
To do that, they will be relying on two familiar faces. Walker has been the lead back for each of the past three seasons after being taken in the second round of the 2022 draft. He’s still just 24, but his production has dropped as use has taken a toll, going from a 1,000-yard rusher as a rookie with 4.6 yards per carry to just 573 yards in 11 games last season and 3.7 yards per carry. None of that is to say Walker is anywhere close to washed. Still, the Seahawks could see more of a running back by committee this season because right behind Walker is Zach Charbonnet, a second-round pick in 2023 who broke out as a second-year player while filling in when Walker was injured. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry and proved adept as a pass catcher and a tough-to-tackle runner.
Both Walker and Charbonnet figure to have plenty of work to do in the Seahawks’ new look offense. Sam Darnold is not the gunslinger that Smith was, and the Seahawks don’t want him to be that anyway. Kubiak’s offense is hoping for more balance after a season in which the Seahawks ranked 29th in rushing last season. His arrival also brings back the true fullback to Seattle, something they didn’t use much with shotgun-oriented coordinator Ryan Grubb. The Seahawks will have two players rotating through the position this year: third-year player Brady Russell, who is also expected to see some time at tight end, and rookie Robbie Ouzts, a fifth-round pick from Alabama. In addition to taking some hits away from Walker and Charbonnet as lead blockers, both Russell and Ouzts (who was a tight end at Alabama) figure to provide Darnold with excellent short-yardage receiving options out of the backfield, a critical piece to an offense that is predicated on balance and maintaining possession.
In addition to the running backs and fullbacks, the Seahawks have another new weapon in the backfield: third-round quarterback Jalen Milroe. The Alabama product struggled in expanded playing time in the Seahawks’ preseason finale against Green Bay, getting sacked five times and losing three fumbles. Nonetheless, he’ll have a role to play in the regular season, likely appearing in special packages as a change-of-pace quarterback. Milroe was drafted as a future development project, but he’ll still be making an immediate impact for the Seahawks.
Seattle also has a revamped offensive line, with first-round pick Gray Zabel expected to step right in as a starting guard. It’s been some time since the Seahawks invested a first-round pick in the offensive line, but if Zabel proves worthy of the pick, he could open up some significant running room.
In Walker and Charbonnet, the Seahawks could not ask for a better 1-2 punch to re-establish their running game. With a whole new set of faces surrounding them, the Seahawks have the tools to turn the page on last season and get back to their identity as a team with a solid ground game.
If they can do that, Walker or Charbonnet, or perhaps even both, will be next up to establish themselves as Seahawks running back legends.
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