The Seattle Seahawks are preparing for the team’s first rivalry game of the young NFL season as a matchup against the San Francisco 49ers looms large for Week 5. Seattle enters the matchup as a slight favorite, but the team will need to continue to be creative at running back.
The Seahawks placed Jadarian Price on injured reserve in Week 4, and the rookie running back will miss at least three more games. There had been some hope that Zach Charbonnet could make his season debut against the Niners.
It appears that Charbonnet is closing in on his return, but the Seahawks have already ruled out the veteran running back against San Francisco. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald revealed the news during his weekly show on Seattle Sports.
Overall, Macdonald provided a positive update on Charbonnet’s status. Charbonnet will practice this week but will not suit up against the 49ers.
“I think we’re off to a great start,” Macdonald said of Charbonnet during an October 5, interview on “Brock and Salk.” “He’s going to get team reps this week, which is really exciting.
“And I know he’s looking forward to it as well. … He looks pretty dang good.”
Seattle also agreed to terms with 2-time Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
The Seahawks are a 2.5-point favorite over the Niners in the NFL odds, per DraftKings.
Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet Will Not Play vs. 49ers in Week 5
Charbonnet is approaching the nine-month mark since the running back’s last game on January 17. The playmaker has been recovering from an ACL injury.
Charbonnet appears to be trending in the right direction. Macdonald revealed that he was able to return to practice a little more than seven months after his surgery which was performed in February.
“In order to be in that type of movement right now and the cutting ability and the change of direction and things like that, that speaks to the work that he’s put in to put himself in that situation,” Macdonald noted.
“A lot of guys don’t look like that coming off of a knee injury. … And he’s done that in a short amount of time.”
The Seahawks’ Decision to Let Kenneth Walker Bolt for Chiefs Continues to Loom Over Offense
It has been a slow start to the NFL season for the Seahawks running backs, but the hope is that Seattle will have a dynamic duo once Price and Charbonnet are both healthy. The challenge is Price will need to prove capable of avoiding fumbles.
Kenneth Walker’s departure to the Kansas City Chiefs continues to loom large as a potential blemish on the Seahawks offseason. Walker has posted at least 100 rushing yards in three of the first four games for the Chiefs, including two contests where the ex-Seahawks playmaker notched more than 170 yards.
Through the first four games, Walker has 87 carries for 537 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Walker also has 12 receptions for 84 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Seahawks GM John Schneider on Kenneth Walker’s Move to Chiefs: ‘That’s a Position That You Can Find Guys’
The hope was that Price could help replace some of Walker’s production. Price has looked explosive at times, but the start of his rookie campaign has been defined by injuries and fumbles.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider’s initial comments about Walker’s departure could come back to haunt Seattle.
“That’s a position that you can find guys,” Schneider said during a March 19, interview with Seattle Sports’ “Wyman and Bob.” “And obviously, (Walker was) outstanding, and everybody’s really excited for him.
“I mean, that’s a great, great contract for a running back. But George did a great job. We’re really excited about Emmanuel Wilson, who we got from Green Bay, a heavy runner with really nice feet.”
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