Seattle Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet Has 'Great Relationship' with Ken Walker III

The Seattle Seahawks' backfield tandem is continuing to forge a friendship into their second year together on the roster.

Jul 27, 2024; Renton, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) during training camp at Virginia Mason Athletic Center. / Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet entered the league last year as a second-round pick out of UCLA, but he came to the team having to share reps with 2022 second-round pick Ken Walker III, who had a breakout rookie year.

Charbonnet would have a right to be frustrated as a highly-touted running back entering a backup role when he could have been a starter on a different team. However, he sees his partnership with Walker as a positive one.

"We always want to see the best for one another," Charbonnet said. "He has a big play I'm always going to be super excited. We also compete in that we want to be kind of the spark on the offense. We continue to just push each other in that aspect. I definitely have a great relationship with Ken and [am] just excited to continue to grow our relationship together and continue to push each other."

Charbonnet said Walker taught him a lot in his rookie season and the two have always bounced off of one another since they became teammates. Even though Charbonnet is technically the backup, he's expected to see the field plenty in 2024. As a rookie, Charbonnet rushed for 462 yards and a touchdown on 108 carries behind Walker as the lead back.

"He definitely kind of just helped me, just introduced me into the league," Charbonnet said. "He had a year under his belt before me so definitely with some of the routine stuff coming in early, just how to attack practice and stuff like that. Definitely just re-emphasized a lot of stuff that I felt like I came in with but he's continued to help me develop my game and continue to just help me with my mindset."

Having both Charbonnet and Walker in the Seahawks backfield makes Seattle's offense extremely dangerous in the running game. It's also a diverse rushing attack, as each presents their own unique traits that are tuned to different situations.

Charbonnet, Walker and the Seahawks begin their preseason run on Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. PT.