Zach Charbonnet isn’t offering a return date yet. He did offer Seattle Seahawks fans three words.
“Trust the process.”
Charbonnet posted the message on Instagram on September 14 as he continues working back from the torn ACL that ended his 2025 postseason. The update comes one week after Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said the running back remains on target with what he called an “aggressive” recovery timetable.
That makes the post more interesting than the caption alone.
Charbonnet remains on Seattle’s reserve/physically unable to perform list, meaning he must miss at least the first four games of the season. Seattle has not announced a target date for his return.
Mike Macdonald Says Zach Charbonnet Looks ‘Dang Good’
Macdonald hasn’t hidden his optimism about Charbonnet’s progress.
The Seahawks coach said September 7 that Charbonnet was on target with an “aggressive” timetable and added that the fourth-year back looked “dang good.” He declined to reveal exactly what that timetable entails.
That’s an important distinction. Encouraging rehab work does not equal medical clearance, and Charbonnet has yet to reach the point where Seattle can simply pencil him back into the lineup.
His road back started after tearing the ACL in his left knee during Seattle’s divisional-round victory over the San Francisco 49ers on January 17. Charbonnet underwent surgery on February 20.
Before the injury, he had authored the best season of his three-year career.
Charbonnet rushed for 730 yards on 184 carries and led Seattle with 12 rushing touchdowns. He became the first Seahawks player since Marshawn Lynch in 2014 to reach double-digit rushing touchdowns in a season.
Those are not replacement-level carries waiting to return.
Charbonnet’s Return Would Reshape Seahawks Backfield
Seattle has already begun life without both members of its old backfield.
Kenneth Walker III departed after earning Super Bowl LX MVP honors, and the Seahawks used their 2026 first-round pick on Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price. Price then showed some juice in his NFL debut, rushing 10 times for 52 yards in Seattle’s 13-10 Week 1 victory over the New England Patriots.
Charbonnet has also helped the rookie while rehabbing. Price said before the opener that Charbonnet was one of the first teammates to contact him after the draft and had offered to help with anything he needed.
Eventually, they could be sharing the same backfield.
Price’s early opportunity gives Seattle no reason to rush Charbonnet through the final stages of an ACL recovery. But Charbonnet’s touchdown production also makes it difficult to view his eventual return as a minor depth move.
His latest post doesn’t change the timetable.
It does fit everything Seattle has said about it.
For now, “trust the process” is about as definitive as Charbonnet is getting. The more important question is how soon that process gets him back onto the field.
Seahawks Get 3-Word Message From Zach Charbonnet Amid Injury Return