Sam Darnold teammate, Seahawks star might miss some time after preseason injury

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Chiefs in the NFL preseason, but one name was absent. After the game, head coach Mike Macdonald was asked about the absence of one of the team’s best offensive players. Now, Sam Darnold and fans have some clarity as to what is happening.

While some of the starters played some snaps against the Chiefs, running back Kenneth Walker III didn’t. Macdonald said Walker is still dealing with a foot issue and that’s why he’s absent from footballing activity.

Walker is the primary back of this offense but injuries have seen him limited for a while now. However, when healthy he is a key component to the offense. As this team enters a new era with Sam Darnold under center, having a good running game to support him is crucial.

Walker is an angry yet agile runner

While never being able to play a full season for the Seahawks, Walker has made his mark known. Last year, he ran 1.7 yards before contact per rushing attempt. However, he’s hard to tackle. That is shown by his career-high on yards after contact.

Kenneth Walker III #9 of the Seattle Seahawks carries the ball against the Buffalo Bills at Lumen Field on October 27, 2024 in Seattle

Darnold had a resurging year last season that granted him a lucrative deal with the Seahawks. However, that also falls on the fact that the Vikings, the team where he played last season, had a solid running game and top-tier weapons to allow the team to implement play-action. With Walker, that scenario will once again be very likely.

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Sam Darnold gets huge update from Seahawks regarding key player on offense

Who is Walker’s backup?

Seattle has an excellent backup plan if Walker isn’t able to be consistently healthy. In fact, that backup had more scrimmage yards than Walker last NFL season. That name is Zach Charbonnet, who ended up with 909 total yards and eight touchdowns last season.

Charbonnet is entering his third year and his production should only go up. Even if Walker is available, this should turn more into a committee rushing game than Charbonnet just being labeled as a backup. He is too good to keep him on the sidelines.