Seahawks RBs Zach Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh: Who Has 'Most to Gain'?

After his shoulder injury, Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet could be supplanted by Kenny McIntosh as the rookie with the "most to gain."

Before his shoulder injury, many were predicting rookie second-round Zach Charbonnet to be one of the reasons that the Seattle Seahawks would trade Kenneth Walker III. While a brief setback early into training camp might not do much to quell those frankly ridiculous rumors, there is still a sense the rookie has a lot to gain. 

Even after a 1,000-yard rushing season for the Seahawks as a rookie, many predict that Walker won't finish the season as the No. 1 back. Pro Football Focus might be predicting something similar, as Charbonnet was the site's pick for which Seahawk rookie has the "most to gain."

"It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Charbonnet supplant Walker at some point during the year," PFF writes. "He ranked second in the Power Five with 7.0 yards per attempt last season with a top-10 mark in yards after contact per attempt (4.10). While training camp likely won’t cement Charbonnet as a starter, it will go a long way toward determining his eventual role as the year wears on."

This was written before Charbonnet's injury, which makes sense why Kenny McIntosh isn't the pick. 

Yet, in the opinion of AllSeahawks.com, with the injuries to Charbonnet and Walker, McIntosh is now the rookie with the most to gain. Despite a productive career at the University of Georgia, McIntosh fell to the seventh round of the NFL Draft. His slide down the board was largely because of his poor showing at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran a 4.62 40-yard dash, which was third-worst at his position.

Since arriving in Seattle, coach Pete Carroll said speed hasn't been an issue for the former Bulldog. In fact, Carroll even said the coaching staff has been surprised by his "quickness" and called him a "highlight" so far. 

McIntosh's case for having the "most to gain" is simple. Instead of running second and third-team reps in camp, he will have the opportunity to take more reps with the first unit and showcase his talents.

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