Kenneth Walker III has been a largely durable asset for the Seattle Seahawks over his first two-plus NFL seasons, playing in 40 of a possible 46 regular-season games.
However, due to ankle and calf injuries, Walker will be sidelined for the third time this season in Sunday’s critical Week 14 road matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
With Seattle’s workhorse back down, who’ll replace him for the NFC West showdown?
Seattle’s Running Back Depth Chart
Walker has been the Seahawks’ clear lead back when healthy this season. The third-year pro has averaged 14.5 rush attempts and 3.8 receptions per game, compiling 542 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 145 carries while adding 38 receptions for 271 yards and another score.
Zach Charbonnet has been Walker’s clear primary backup and stepped into the same No. 1 role he’ll handle Sunday during Weeks 2 and 3, when the latter was sidelined with an oblique injury.
Meanwhile, Kenny McIntosh and George Holani will serve as the No. 2 and No. 3 backs on the depth chart, respectively, for the Seahawks in Sunday’s game against Arizona.
Here’s everything you need to know about Charbonnet, McIntosh, and Holani.
Who Is Zach Charbonnet?
Charbonnet was selected by the Seahawks with the 52nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after he rushed for 2,496 yards and 27 touchdowns at a blistering 6.3 yards per carry during his final two college seasons at UCLA.
Also an accomplished pass catcher, Charbonnet recorded a 61-518-0 receiving line on 78 targets during that same span. His dual-threat potential led the Seahawks to entrust him with a solid complementary role as a rookie, one he parlayed into 462 rushing yards and a touchdown on 108 carries, along with 33 receptions for 209 yards over 16 regular-season games.
When Walker was ruled out for a Week 2 matchup against the New England Patriots due to his aforementioned oblique issue, Charbonnet saw a career-high 63 snaps from scrimmage. He found running room at a premium while netting just 38 yards on 14 carries, but he added a rushing touchdown and five receptions for 31 yards.
Charbonnet was much more productive during his second straight start in Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins, rushing for 91 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries and posting three receptions for 16 yards on four targets.
With Walker otherwise healthy this season, Charbonnet has played between 18 and 32 snaps in his 10 other games, recording 43 carries for 137 yards and two touchdowns, along with a 21-157-1 receiving line on 27 targets.
Who Is Kenny McIntosh?
A 2023 seventh-round pick out of Georgia, McIntosh flashed potential as both a runner and receiver, particularly during his final season with the Bulldogs. He carried 146 times for 809 yards and 10 touchdowns while also recording 42 receptions for 490 yards and another pair of scores across 15 games.
McIntosh opened his rookie season on injured reserve due to a preseason knee injury. Once activated in mid-November, he subsequently saw extremely sparse action behind Walker, Charbonnet, and DeeJay Dallas, recording only 12 special-teams snaps and zero plays on offense over the three regular-season games he was active for.
After securing the RB3 role coming out of this past summer’s training camp, McIntosh has been active for all 12 of the Seahawks’ regular-season games. Yet, he’s played 122 special-teams snaps to just 12 on offense, rushing four times for 16 yards and not seeing a target with the latter opportunity.
Who Is George Holani?
Following a highly productive career from 2019-23 at Boise State, Holani was a coveted undrafted free agent who earned a $15,000 signing bonus from the Seahawks as part of a three-year deal that contained an additional $100,000 in guaranteed money.
Holani accumulated 4,373 scrimmage yards and 34 total touchdowns at 5.7 yards per touch over 48 games during his college tenure with the Broncos. Although he failed to make the 53-man roster coming out of training camp, Holani’s contract and potential earned him a spot on Seattle’s practice squad to open the regular season.
During his Week 2 NFL debut against the Patriots, Holani played just six special-teams snaps but sustained an ankle injury that landed him on Seattle’s practice-squad IR. He was restored to active status on Nov. 27 and summoned back to the active roster Saturday to serve as the No. 3 back for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
With Charbonnet set to serve as the clear No. 1 option and the more experienced McIntosh slotting in as his primary backup, Holani may once again be relegated to special-teams duty versus Arizona.