Last week, Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon published an article identifying the biggest disappointment on each of the NFL’s 32 teams after the first seven weeks of the season. His choice for the Seattle Seahawks? Zach Charbonnet.
Talk about your first world problems.
I don’t agree with the selection of the former UCLA star, but I suppose he has underperformed in the early part of 2025. And if Zach Charbonnet is indeed your club’s biggest disappointment – or even in the running for the dubious honor – I’d suggest that’s a sign that your team is in very good shape.
Seattle Seahawks' Zach Charbonnet is a backup, and a backup is never your biggest disappointment
The level of disappointment is largely based on expectation, and choosing Charbonnet is a product of a faulty understanding of the Seahawks' offense. If you thought, or still think, that Charbonnet is better suited to start in Klint Kubiak’s offense than Kenneth Walker III, then you can certainly argue he has been the team’s biggest disappointment so far.
But the numbers and the eye test always revealed that Walker is simply a better option for the Seahawks. More importantly, it has been clear for a while that the coaches believe Walker is their weapon of choice.
Gagnon based his case on Charbonnet’s paltry 2.8 yards per carry, and I agree that is a very poor number. It is mitigated a bit by the fact that removing one low-end outlier – 10 yards on 15 carries against Pittsburgh – raises that average more than half a yard. Still not good, but not quite as bad as it first appears.
More concerning early on is his relative lack of production as a pass catcher. He has been very good out of the backfield in his first two seasons, but has done almost nothing as a receiver this year.
The drop-off in rushing efficiency is concerning but not alarming. As much improved as the Seahawks' offensive line has been this year, it is still not elite. That is precisely why Walker is getting the lion’s share of the work. He is more explosive. He hits holes faster. He can create when nothing is there.
Besides, I suspect that even though Gagnon’s article was published after the Houston Texans' game in Week Seven, I’m not sure he took that game into account. It was Charbonnet’s best of the year – 49 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns. Hopefully, that is a sign of things to come.
As for the receiving effectiveness, even that may have a silver lining. One of the reasons Charbonnet is not catching passes this season is that the Seahawks have better weapons, especially at tight end. AJ Barner and Elijah Arroyo are probably snapping up some of the targets that might have gone to the running back in the past. And the bottom line is that the offense is humming right along.
So if Charbonnet is not the biggest disappointment, who is?
Maybe Derick Hall. The edge rusher has yet to record a sack or a tackle for loss after getting eight and six, respectively, last season. But with Uchenna Nwosu healthy, Hall has been relegated to the fourth edge rusher behind DeMarcus Lawrence, Boye Mafe, and Nwosu.
I think the biggest disappointment has to come from the starters – or the projected starters at the beginning of the season. I thought Tyrice Knight would be starting and making more of an impact this season at linebacker next to Ernest Jones.
But it seems clear that for now, Drake Thomas has won the starting job, perhaps based on his superior coverage skills. If Thomas simply beat out Knight, then perhaps it’s a sign of how well Thomas is playing and not a major knock on Knight.
Riq Woolen has clearly had his ups and downs, and he would be a strong contender. In a few seasons, he has gone from a Pro Bowl berth as a rookie to being constantly discussed as potential trade bait. But I think Woolen still has a lot of good football in him, and it will probably be with Seattle. He has been trending up in the past couple of weeks. The Houston game was his best of the year.
The biggest disappointment on Seattle this season has been right guard Anthony Bradford. I say this as someone who has always thought Bradford has the talent to be a solid starter in the NFL. But he simply cannot seem to develop his pass blocking skills and by this point, you have to begin wondering if he ever will.
Seattle has one significant weak link on its offensive line. Indeed, it may be the only significant weak link amongst all the starters. He is an adequate run blocker, and hope will always remain that he can improve as a pass protector. But it has yet to happen, and for that reason, Anthony Bradford is the Seahawks’ biggest disappointment so far in 2025.
When you consider that about a quarter of Gagnon’s selections were starting quarterbacks and a sizeable chunk also came from elite, high-salaried position players, having a fourth-year guard – or a back-up running back if you prefer – as your biggest disappointment really isn’t all that bad.