Where Does Seattle Seahawks' RB Unit Rank?

There seems to be some disagreement over how good the Seattle Seahawks' running back group is, but it isn't because of talent.

Nov 12, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) rushes against the Washington Commanders during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

On paper, the Seattle Seahawks have the talent to field a quality rushing offense, but it hasn't materialized yet.

Despite having two young, solid running backs in Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, Seattle finished 28th in rushing offense with just 92.9 yards per game. That's a noticeable drop from the year, before, in which the Seahawks finished 18th in rushing offense with 120.1 yards per game.

After a disappointing season for the Seahawks' ground game, there seems to be some disagreement regarding their running backs. ESPN's Mike Clay ranked Seattle's running back unit as the fourth-best in the league, while Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema ranked it near the middle of the league at No. 14, a very interesting contrast.

"Kenneth Walker is one of the NFL's most boom-or-bust backs, having recorded a missed tackles forced average above 0.20 but also a stuff percentage (rushes for no gain or a loss) above 20% in each of the past two seasons," Sikkema writes.

"Despite the lower efficiency, Walker's positive reps are so good that he has earned PFF rushing grades above 84.0 in each of the past two years. If he can stay healthy and cut down on the negatives, he can be a top-10 back and carry this group. Zach Charbonnet will slot in as RB2 after a solid rookie season in which he earned a 74.4 rushing grade."

First off, it's important to note that the running backs aren't fully at fault for the ground game's struggles. A subpar offensive line and an occasionally questionable game plan arguably contribued even more to those struggles than Walker and Charbonnet having somewhat disappointing seasons.

Regardless of what happened last season, it's now up to new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and co. to patch up the rushing attack.