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At the start of the season, many believed Zach Charbonnet would take over as the Seahawks’ RB1. And early signs pointed that way. In Week 1 against the 49ers, Charbonnet was the one grinding most of the snaps in the backfield, moving the chains while Kenneth Walker III watched from the sidelines more than expected. But that storyline didn’t last long. In Week 2, everything changed. Walker went off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, slicing through defenders for 105 yards on just 13 carries. Since that breakout, the load has shifted his way, roughly a 60-40 split in his favor. Still, fans haven’t stopped wondering why head coach Mike Macdonald keeps juggling both backs. Interestingly, Walker himself cleared the air about that rotation and made sure everyone knew where he stood. ADVERTISEMENT “We got an understanding of that with one another, and that’s my brother at the end of the day. We are both going to do what we have to do to impact the team in a positive way,” Walker said about splitting time with teammate Charbonnet. That comment alone showed there’s no ego in the Seahawks’ backfield. And truth be told, the numbers make Macdonald’s approach look smart. Walker has carried the ball 106 times for 472 yards and three touchdowns through eight games. Charbonnet, on the other hand, has handled 80 carries for 230 yards and five scores in seven appearances. Clearly, both are contributing. ADVERTISEMENT Still, there’s more to it than just complementary play. According to insider Gregg Bell, Walker is still managing the effects of the ankle injury he suffered last December. The split, as Bell explained, is designed to keep the star back healthy deep into the season. “They’re trying to manage Kenneth Walker through the entire season with a foot issue that he has had since August… When I got to Green Bay, I learned that Walker’s foot injury in the summer that was causing him to miss practices in training camp is related to the high ankle sprain that he had in December last year that he ended up on injured reserve.” ADVERTISEMENT Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports However, Mike Macdonald isn’t just managing workloads. He’s also looking for ways to improve the team in certain aspects. Mike Macdonald will focus on their running game ADVERTISEMENT The Seahawks sit at 6-2 and look ready for another big test when they face the Cardinals, who sit at 3-5. On paper, the Seahawks should handle business easily, but there’s one thing holding them back. The running game just hasn’t hit its stride. Seattle ranks fifth in points per game with 28.9 and fourth in passing offense at 255.1 yards per game, but the ground attack tells another story. At just 103.9 yards per game, ranking 22nd in the league, the run game lacks the same punch. It’s something Mike Macdonald isn’t ignoring. The Seahawks’ head coach told ESPN he knows the team can’t afford to overlook the issue. “We’ve put ourselves in a position to really attack this second half of the season, and we know we can improve.” He also sounded confident about the group’s direction. “I think we’re on the right track. We have probably a better understanding of what we do well and what we don’t do as well, how we build things, who’s out there, that sort of thing. But I think we don’t need wholesale changes. We need to keep attacking it. There’s detail involved. There’s operation involved. Game plan, scheme, kind of all of the above is room for improvement, and I think we saw last game we took a stride. We’ve just got to keep moving in that direction.” And yes, fans in the 12th Man have raised eyebrows about the two-back system featuring Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. Still, Walker has kept things calm, insisting both can thrive. Now, the question shifts to Sunday: who takes the first snap when the lights come on at Lumen Field?
