Ever since his late-season surge last fall, there’s been growing speculation that perhaps Zach Charbonnet could overtake Kenneth Walker III for the Seattle Seahawks’ starting running back job this year.
Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard predicted as much last week, stating that he thinks Charbonnet will be the Week 1 starter.
Add NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah to the list of pundits who think that’s a possibility.
Huard: Seahawks’ new-look offense ‘a symphony of destruction’
Jeremiah told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk that he was impressed by Charbonnet in Friday’s preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Charbonnet rushed five times for 45 yards and a touchdown on the Seahawks’ opening drive, capped by a 15-yard scoring burst through a big hole on the left side.
Walker, meanwhile, has dealt with a sore foot that’s sidelined him at times during training camp. He hasn’t played in either of the two first preseason games.
“Is there a chance Charbonnet is the guy up there, the way that he’s run?” Jeremiah said. “I’m just watching him run and I’m sitting there going, I like Kenneth, but I’m not so sure that the other guy (Charbonnet) isn’t better.
“I think he sees it better. To me, I think he’s just got better vision.”
Zach just drove his truck right through 😤 pic.twitter.com/iuttt9Jv09
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 16, 2025
That vision is why Jeremiah thinks Charbonnet may be a better fit for new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s wide-zone blocking scheme.
“There’s gonna be creases that are created, and they’re not gonna be created the same,” Jeremiah said. “You can call the same run play five times and the crease might be different every single time. So, hesitation and pause, that’s not a friend in this system. You’ve gotta be able to see it, sort it and go. And I just think Charbonnet sees things faster and he gets to and through the hole quicker.
“Look, if you’re gonna run crack toss (to the) outside, Kenneth Walker can do that all day long. But in terms of being able to sift and sort inside and find the crease, I just think Charbonnet is a little more comfortable with that at this point.”
As Walker dealt with injures down the stretch last year, Charbonnet filled in and rushed for 303 yards and 5.1 yards per carry over the final five games. Charbonnet finished the season with 569 rushing yards and 4.2 yards per carry.
Walker, meanwhile, took a step back last year during an injury-plagued campaign. After running for 900-plus yards in each of his first two NFL seasons, he finished with just 573 rushing yards and 3.7 yards per carry in 11 games last fall.
Walker, who has missed 10 games due to injuries over his first three seasons, has been dealing with a sore foot that’s sidelined him at times during training camp. He hasn’t played in either of the two first preseason games, although many established running backs typically don’t take snaps during the season.
Charbonnet has missed only one game over his first two seasons.
Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah at this link or in the audio player near the bottom of this story. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
More on the Seattle Seahawks
• Seattle Seahawks injury updates on Walker, Horton and more
• Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu takes key step toward return
• ‘Our style of football’: A glowing start for Seattle Seahawks’ new-look offense
• Instant observations from Seattle Seahawks’ preseason win over Chiefs
• Lefko: Which Seattle Seahawks 2022 draft picks should get extensions