Mike Macdonald expands on Seahawks' Kenneth Walker III decision

Shortly after the Seattle Seahawks seemingly made no real attempt to hold onto running back and Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks GM John Schneider suggested his team's backfield has more than enough talent with free-agency signing Emanuel Wilson, undrafted free agent George Holani, 2023 seventh-round draft pick Kenny McIntosh and Zach Charbonnet on the roster. 

During a recent chat with NFL Network's Steve Wyche, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald opened up about the state of Seattle's rushing attack after Walker left the club to join the Kansas City Chiefs.

Seahawks still excited about rushing attack after departure of Kenneth Walker III

"I think what you saw from George Holani in the offseason, or really at the end of the season, Super Bowl, NFC championship, the guy played great football, as he did before, he got hurt, you know, at the beginning of the season," Macdonald explained, per Nick Shook of the NFL's website. "So, we're always looking to make our team, you know, take the next step, but the guys we have in the building we're excited for, and I'm pretty sure Zach Charbonnet scored, like, 14 touchdowns last year, so it was pretty good."

ESPN stats show that Charbonnet led the 2025 Seahawks with 12 regular-season rushing touchdowns. However, he went down with a torn ACL in mid-January, meaning he almost certainly will miss at least some games this coming fall. 

McIntosh is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last summer, while Holani contributed 73 regular-season rushing yards on 22 carries. To compare, Walker led Seattle this past regular season with 221 carries and 1,027 rushing yards.

How are Kenny McIntosh, Zach Charbonnet recovering from setbacks?

"Well, Kenny Mac and Zach are gonna be rehabbing like crazy, trying to get back," Macdonald added. "You know, we're gonna be aggressive with that as best we can, but we're also gonna be as smart as we can to take care of them. So, when they're ready to go, they're ready to go." 

The Seahawks recently made Jaxon Smith-Njigba the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver, but they also have quarterback Sam Darnold locked down via a team-friendly contract. Schneider and Macdonald clearly felt that paying Walker was an unnecessary expense for the reigning Super Bowl champions, but one wonders if that decision will ultimately cost Seattle a win or two later this year.