Getty Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet
It generally takes some time for NFL rookies to understand the league, comprehend what is going on, and truly understand how to be a professional. However, some rookies pick things up quicker than others, and that’s exactly how the Seattle Seahawks feel about 2023 second-round pick Zach Charbonnet. That is why head coach Pete Carroll only needed three words to give the rookie running back the highest praise a coach can give a young player: “He gets it.”
Pete Carroll Loves Zach Charbonnet’s makeup
The Seahawks drafting Charbonnet was a bit of a surprise back in April. The team took Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker III in that same round a year prior, but with four picks in the first two rounds, Carroll and general manager John Schneider doubled down on one of the team’s most important offensive positions.
Walker is the team’s bell-cow back, racking up 117 carries for 516 yards, 14 catches for 110 yards, and six touchdowns. Charbonnet has offered a nice change of pace, though, adding 162 yards on 28 carries, which works out to 5.8 yards per attempt to Walker’s 4.4. The former UCLA Bruin also 8 catches for 47 yards.
In the Seahawks Week 8 win over the Cleveland Browns, Charbonnet played a career-high 34 snaps and averaged 10.6 yards per carry on his five totes.
The Seahawks rookie seems like he’s slowly but surely earning more trust from the coaching staff, and Carroll’s recent comments about him, via the Seattle Times, confirm that thought.
“He gets it. The game comes easy to him, he understands, he’s really disciplined, a very accountable kid,” Carroll said. “When you tell him something, he does it as close to exactly the way you tell him, and he’s able to adapt in the flow of things and come up with the right choices and decisions to make things work out. It’s hard for a young guy to do a blitz pickup and pass-protection stuff; he hasn’t had a problem with it at all, and he’s physical enough to take care of it. He’s a full-bodied guy.”
That last piece on pass blocking is the most intriguing part of the quote. Pass protection deficiency is often the reason rookie running backs don’t see the field as much as fans expect. However, Charbonnet isn’t just surviving pass blocking in the NFL, he’s thriving.
In fact, according to PFF, Charbonnet has the highest pass-blocking grade (87.2) on the team. That grade dwarfs fellow backs Walker (53.0) and DeeJay Dallas (47.1). If Charbonnet continues to excel in this aspect of his game, we could see a lot more of him as the second half of the season commences.
Seattle Must Lean on Their Running Backs in Week 9 vs. the Ravens
The Seahawks face a tough NFC-AFC battle in Week 9 as they travel all the way to the East Coast to face the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens.
As usual, under longtime head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Ravens have an excellent defense in 2023. The unit is the No. 2 scoring defense (121 points allowed) in the league and is No. 3 in yards allowed (2,212).
When you look closer at the numbers, though, you’ll see Baltimore excels at one aspect of defense more than the other. Defending the pass, the Ravens have allowed the sixth-fewest passing yards (1,413) and have the most sacks in the league (31).
Against the run, it’s another story.
The Ravens D is relatively pedestrian against running backs. They are 14th in rushing yards allowed (799) and are also in the middle of the pack in most missed tackles (T-14 with 43). They are also 15th in run defense grades by PFF at 67.0. For context, the Seahawks are seventh in this metric with a 72.5 grade.
All this adds up to the fact that the Seahawks are going to have to run the ball to win in Week 9, and Walker can’t do it alone. Don’t be surprised if there’s more Charbonnet than usual on Sunday.