Last season, Seahawks fans saw glimpses of how versatile, powerful and impressive the backfield duo of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet could be. Whether that be Walker bouncing off the line changing directions, to make a play that seemed like it was over, turn into big yards. Or Charbonnet, running fast and powerful, trucking players out of his way.
Coming into this season, with Charbonnet now having a full season under his grip and Walker growing into more of a leader in Year 3, the pair have the potential to be a force.
“I’m excited about the top two guys [Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet],” head coach Mike Macdonald said on NFL Network’s Training Camp Live. “Kenneth Walker’s had a great offseason and doubled down on a great training camp. And Zach Charbonnet is a stud. Every day, same guy, tough as nails, plays extremely hard… I’m excited to see them go do their thing.”
Having two strong running backs in Walker and Charbonnet, surely creates competition, but more so than competing with each other, it’s encouragement to keep pushing to get better.
“I know we talk about competition, but it’s not competition against each other,” Walker said. “It’s more like helping each other out, getting better. And that’s for the whole running back room. You know, we got new guys here, George [Holani], we got Kobe [Lewis] and little Kairee [Robinson] just came here too. So, it’s cool to have him. We just feed off each other.”
Charbonnet echoed the same thoughts, saying, “We always want to see the best for one another. 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 (Kenneth Walker II) and just excited to continue to grow our relationship together and continue to push each other.”
Going into his third season, Walker has shown that he’s growing into a leader and that could be seen throughout training camp, whether that’s hyping up the rookies after a big play or explaining something to a younger player on the sideline. Charbonnet said last season, Walker showed him the same kind of guidance as a new face on the team.
“He definitely kind of just helped me, just introduced me into the league,” Charbonnet said on playing with Walker last season. “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.”
When Walker thinks back to his 2023 season, he would tell you that it was “alright,” adding, “You can always get better each year. I definitely want to have a much better performance this year.”
And offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, says, “the sky’s the limit for him.”
“I think Ken (Walker III) grows every day. He gets better every single day,” Grubb said. “He’s a really talented, powerful back, that’s a true, three-tool guy. He’s going to be able to run the ball every run you got. He’s going to be able to catch the football, he’s going to be able to pass-protect, and he’s growing. He was a natural runner. He knew what to do with the ball in his hand, and now, he’s intelligent in the pass-protection scheme. He works really hard at it. I think he’s getting a lot better, and he’s electric out of the backfield as a pass catcher.”
Both Walker and Charbonnet say they like what they’ve seen from Grubb’s offense so far.
“There’s a lot of different shifts, motions, stuff like that,” Charbonnet said. “I’m definitely excited to see how (Ryan) Grubb calls this offense.”
“From the first day, I knew they had the winning mentality,” Walker added about the coaching staff as a whole. “I feel like that’s what we need. They want to win and that’s what that’s what really matters.”
