The Seattle Seahawks' triumphant cruise into 2026 as the newest Super Bowl champions didn't come without some goodbyes, but their head coach doesn't seem to be too bothered by those who left.
As is the case with many Super Bowl winners, needy teams were eager to poach contributors from Seattle's roster. Safety Coby Bryant joined the Bears, cornerback Tariq Woolen moved east to Philadelphia, edge Boye Mafe traded his Seahawks uniform for a Bengals kit and special teamer Dareke Young became a Las Vegas Raider. None loomed larger, however, than reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, who quickly accepted an offer to join the Kansas City Chiefs at the start of free agency.
With Walker gone, the Seahawks are left with Zach Charbonnet -- who is returning from an ACL injury suffered in the postseason -- spell back George Holani, reserve Kenny McIntosh, who missed all of 2025 with an ACL tear, and offseason addition Emanuel Wilson. It's a group that isn't as imposing on paper, but Macdonald isn't fretting the changes.
"Well, we have, you know, Kenny Mac and Zach are gonna be rehabbing, like, crazy, trying to get back," Macdonald told NFL Network's Steve Wyche at the NFL Annual Meeting. "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.
"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. So, we're always looking to make our team, you know, take the next step, but the guys we're having the building were excited for, and I'm pretty sure it's Zach Charbonnet scored, like, 14 touchdowns last year, so it was pretty good."
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Macdonald is largely correct in his assessment. Charbonnet became a valuable power back who was remarkably productive in short-yardage situations, especially along the goal line. Of his 14 rushing scores, 12 came from six or less yards out.
But in order for Charbonnet to receive those opportunities, he needed his more explosive teammates like Walker, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba or others to move the Seahawks into those short-yardage scoring opportunities.
The Seahawks acted accordingly in the 2026 offseason. With the understanding they'd likely lose some defenders from their excellent unit to free agency, general manager John Schneider decided now was the time to dedicate financial resources toward the other side of the ball, handing a lucrative deal to Smith-Njigba to secure the services of the newly minted NFL Offensive Player of the Year for the next six years.
That meant some sacrifices might have to be made elsewhere in order to preserve their chances of remaining perennial Super Bowl contenders. But as Macdonald suggested Sunday, with $33 million in cap space available and the draft less than a month away, it doesn't mean the Seahawks are done addressing the running backs room.
Just don't expect the newest Super Bowl-winning coach to lose sleep over it in April.