The narrative that never goes away from the Pete Carroll years with the Seattle Seahawks is that Carroll wanted to run the ball too much and this held the offense back. In reality, the scenario was completely different.
In the last several years of Carroll's tenure with the team, the Seahawks didn't throw the ball enough. In his final season of 2023, Seattle threw the ball 61.6 percent of the time, fifth-most in the league. This was the case even though Carroll had chosen running backs in the second round of back-to-back drafts.
Things actually got worse in new head coach Mike Macdonald's first season as offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was pass-happy enough to have the team throw on 62.8 percent of plays, which was fifth-most once again.
Seahawks cannot afford to trade running back Kenneth Walker III
Part of the issue is that the Seahawks have been wasting their talent at running back by throwing too much. Kenneth Walker III missed six games last season, but ran for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season of 2022. Backup Zach Charbonnet has been productive in more limited snaps. The combination of Walker and Charbonnet could be a real weapon.
That should be the case in 2025 under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Kubiak was the OC for the New Orleans Saints last season, and even though New Orleans needed to throw more late in games due to being behind, the Saints still only passed on 57 percent of plays, 16th in the league. Seattle is going to run the ball more this year.
This means the Seahawks need both Walker and Charbonnet and hope they both stay healthy. That also means not trading one.
Walker has been the subject of many trade rumors this offseason, including several since the 2025 NFL draft ended. Pro Football Network listed three teams Walker could be traded to. Athlon Sports had Walker going to the Denver Broncos. Bleacher Report's Windy City Gridiron had Walker being moved to the Chicago Bears.
Of course, all these are simply bloggers and analysts floating ideas that might not have any teeth. We should hope they don't. Walker needs to stay with Seattle because he would be a terrific fit in Kubiak's scheme.
Walker is a fast back with a very good ability to catch passes. He hesitates far too much at the line of scrimmage, but the Seahawks' offensive line should be better this season and open more holes for Walker and Charbonnet.
There is no reason to think a healthy Walker won't get more than 1,000 yards rushing in 2025, and maybe 1,500 total yards. If he gets traded, Kubiak's offense is going to be a lot less efficient.
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