Seattle’s quarterback position is settled. The backfield isn’t.
The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl in February by beating the New England Patriots, but a lot has changed since. The franchise will try to defend its title without the availability of Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III in the 2026 season.
The running back has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on a three-year deal worth up to $45 million. The departure of their featured back has created uncertainty at the position before training camp. To cover for Walker’s departure, Seattle used its first-round pick on Jadarian Price as the 32nd overall pick.
Running back Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL during Seattle’s divisional round victory in January, requiring surgery, and therefore he is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2026 season.
NFL insider Adam Schefter pointed to the Seahawks’ running back room as the biggest question entering camp.
“To me, the biggest question this team faces is the Super Bowl MVP, Kenneth Walker III, went to Kansas City in the offseason as a free agent. They lost their star running back,” Schefter said. “Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in January. He’s not going to be available, I would guess, the first quarter of the season, maybe the first half of the season. I don’t know the exact timetable, but I’m going to find out. He’s not going to open the season here. Kenneth Walker’s gone, and the team used its first-round draft pick on a running back, Jadarian Price.”
Seahawks rookies report to training camp Friday, when Seattle’s first-round pick Jadarian Price will be trying to help replace Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III.
Cc: @DanStanczyk
🎧 https://t.co/5u0N0lcNHD pic.twitter.com/F1qUg7j8vf
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 15, 2026
Training camp for rookies begins Friday, giving us the first glimpse of how the Seahawks approach the running back position.
Apart from Price, the Seahawks have contingency plans in place. They signed former Green Bay Packers running back Emmanuel Wilson in free agency and retained George Holani, who impressed during Seattle’s playoff run in a reserve role.
But since neither of these two players has proven to be capable of being the team’s lead back, Price is expected to get the featured role.
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Seahawks rookie noted as best RB in draft: Adam Schefter
There were several top college running backs in the 2026 NFL draft, including Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, who was picked up by the Arizona Cardinals third overall.
While discussing the Seahawks’ offseason, Adam Schefter recalled one NFL coach telling him that Jadarian Price was actually the best running back in the draft.
“I do remember one coach telling me before the draft that he thought Jedarion Price was the best running back in this draft,” Schefter added. “Again, his college teammate, Jeremiah Love, is the star and the great versatile player who can catch and run, but he felt that, as a pure running back, Jadarian Price was the best running back in the draft.”
With Walker gone and Charbonnet unavailable for at least the early part of the season, a lot of running back responsibilities will fall on the shoulders of the rookie. Playing 12 games for Notre Dame, Price rushed for 674 yards and 11 touchdowns on 113 carries.
Seattle’s offense doesn’t take the position lightly, as its running game was instrumental in its championship season. It remains to be seen whether they see Price good enough to start at the position from Day 1.