Seeing 15 carries to Zach Charbonnet’s 18 on Sunday afternoon probably wasn’t the best sign for the immediate future of Kenneth Walker III in Seattle.
The former Michigan State running back rushed for just 51 yards on 15 carries with no touchdowns to Charbonnet’s 18 carries for 110 yards and two scores. Even more concerning was the fact that Charbonnet and Walker had the same number of catches (2).
Charbonnet saw his touchdowns fluctuate throughout the season, but he was always seemingly behind Walker. Red zone touches? Well, that’s a different story, but Walker had been featured more in the offense this season in Seattle.
Sunday was different.
For the first time since Oct. 12 against the Jaguars, Charbonnet out-touched Walker.
Walker had already been getting phased out in the red zone, but it feels like he’s now beginning to lose the RB1 title. Could this have just been a case of Charbonnet just having the hot hand and Mike Macdonald taking advantage of that? Sure, but if you look at the contract situation, the Seahawks seem to be doing this strategically.
Kenneth Walker III is in his contract season
A big reason Seattle might be relying more on the RB2 option is because Walker is in the final year of his four-year, $8.4 million rookie contract. He’s been playing well enough to be a starter in this league, but the Seahawks may not be willing to give him a raise when they have Charbonnet right there.
In fact, Charbonnet has one year left on his rookie contract and he’s currently cheaper than Walker. If they believe he’s on the same level as Walker, I doubt they’d bring him back with a raise when they can just spend less with the younger back?
That could allow Walker to test the free agent waters for the first time in his NFL career at age 26.
On the season, Walker has carried the ball 205 times for 930 yards and five touchdowns. He’s averaging a healthy 4.5 yards per carry, so there’s going to be some real value with him. He’s a 1,000-yards rusher who, when healthy, can take over games with his ability to score on any given play.
It’s likely that he’s going to be out in Seattle after this season, but if they do keep him, he may be wasting some of the prime years of his career by splitting carries.