Seahawks in Wait and See Mode With Ken Walker III, Zach Charbonnet

The Seahawks hope to have Zach Charbonnet ready for Thursday night, but optimism isn't near as high for Ken Walker's chances to face the Bears.

Dec 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) stretches for extra yards during a run play against the Minnesota Vikings in the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - With their season and dwindling playoff hopes on the line preparing for a Thursday night road game against the Chicago Bears, the Seattle Seahawks have significant questions about the health of their top two running backs amid a short week.

Speaking with reporters on Monday afternoon at the VMAC, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald didn't have much of an update on the status of running back Ken Walker III, who continues to undergo tests on his injured ankle after hobbling off the field late in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Vikings. With a rapid turnaround before flying to Chicago, the team hopes to have answers by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest pertaining to his potential availability.

"No updates right now on him, but getting a test done," Macdonald said. "We'll have a good idea on what it looks like over the next day or two."

The 2024 season has been one defined by injuries for Walker, who already missed four games this season, including two games earlier this month with a calf issue. Even when healthy, in large part due to poor blocking and lack of opportunities, he hasn't been near as effective as he was in his first two seasons, averaging a career-low 3.7 yards per carry with 573 rushing yards in 11 starts.

In Walker's absence, Zach Charbonnet has shined in four starts, rushing for 317 yards and six touchdowns. But like his backfield counterpart, he's battling through injuries now as well and only carried the ball once with two receptions on Sunday, which Macdonald hinted boiled down to his health after missing practice time with an oblique injury.

Macdonald had a more optimistic update on Charbonnet's status, but interestingly, the Seahawks listed him as limited on an estimated practice report for Monday with an elbow injury, a different designation than he had last week. If he's dealing with a new injury, that may impact how much he can carry the load in Chicago, thrusting Kenny McIntosh into a bigger role or potentially even starting on offense for the first time in his career.

"I'll speak with Zach. Seemed like he was limited during the game, but signs are positive with Zach right now," Macdonald said.

Given the importance of Thursday's game against an opponent that has allowed 100 or more rushing yards in each of their nine straight losses, it would be a surprise if Charbonnet wasn't good enough to at least suit up and play more snaps than he did on Sunday. But Walker's situation seems far less certain with just three days to recover between games, and depending on the severity of his ankle injury, it's possible he could be out for the last two weeks or longer if Seattle somehow makes the postseason.

If that ends up being the case and the team believes Walker will miss an extended time, the Seahawks will need to make a roster move to elevate undrafted rookie George Holani from the practice squad for depth purposes. The former Boise State standout has been elevated for three games and will have to be signed to the 53-man roster to play in Chicago, meaning a player will need to be placed on injured reserve or waived to create space for him.

Regardless of who winds up playing at running back on Thursday night, Macdonald knows Seattle has to find a way to stick with the ground game and provide more opportunities for balance on offense than it did this weekend. After averaging north of five yards per carry against Arizona and Green Bay in consecutive games, they only rushed for 59 yards and 3.9 yards per carry against Minnesota, which won't cut it on the road in frigid Chicago.

"Some of the things that Minnesota was doing got us out of some runs earlier in the game and we made them pay and some of the early down pass stuff, so you just start looking at straight numbers of just more going on than just called runs and called passes. But overall, we’ve got to do a better job of moving the ball forward."

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