Kenneth Walker III inexplicably splitting carries with underperforming ex-Michigan RB

It’s been an interesting season for some former Michigan State stars in the NFL like Jayden Reed, Kirk Cousins, and Kenneth Walker III, to name a few.

Reed suffered a long-term injury on a touchdown catch that was called back earlier in the season, Ben VanSumeren was hurt on the first NFL play of the year, Cousins lost his starting job to Michael Penix Jr., and Walker III finds himself in a backfield share with an ex-Michigan running back.

The latter example may be the most frustrating for any former Michigan State stars, however.

And Seahawks fans are angry.

Every week, Walker III is putting up solid numbers and outperforming ex-Michigan running back Zach Charbonnet, yet he finds himself in a split-carry situation with the former Wolverine.

The numbers below tell the entire (frustrating) story.

In five full games together, Walker III has just five more touches than Charbonnet, yet he has more than double the yardage. And yet, Mike Macdonald continues to run out with a split-carry situation, and frankly, it’s hurting Seattle’s offense.

Charbonnet does bring a different running style to the table that may complement Walker III, but there’s no way he should be getting nearly the same number of touches.

On the season, Walker has 425 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, averaging a career-best 4.7 yards per carry. As for Charbonnet, he’s up to 186 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns on a paltry 2.6 yards per carry. Yet when both are healthy at the same time, they’re earning almost an equal split. Make that make sense.

Seahawks fans are pulling their hair out trying to understand why there’s a split instead of giving K9 the keys to the backfield, but Seattle will continue to struggle on the ground if nothing changes.