The Seattle Seahawks have had a strong start to the 2025 season, following a roster overhaul in the offseason. Led by quarterback Sam Darnold, the Seahawks have gotten out to a 5-2 start and are on their way to 6-2 after a dominant 31-7 first half against the Washington Commanders in Week 9 on Sunday Night Football.
Despite the offensive explosion, running back Kenneth Walker III has not been involved and is off to yet another slow start.
What Happened to Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III?
It’s been dominant through the first half of the Seahawks’ Sunday Night showdown with the Commanders. Darnold has tossed four touchdowns as the Commanders’ defense hasn’t been able to slow down Seattle’s offense whatsoever.
Despite that, Walker has not been fed the ball after a rather productive first quarter. He turned six carries into 26 yards, as well as catching two passes for 19 yards. As NFL Network analyst Michael Florio said on X, “A whole lot of Kenneth Walker so far, which is smart given how much speed has been an issue for the Commanders’ defense.”
A whole lot of Kenneth Walker so far – which is smart given how much speed has been an issue for the Commanders defense
But Walker getting touches near the goal line is HUGE for his fantasy value
— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) November 3, 2025
Walker has nearly matched his output from 2024 in four fewer games this season. He played in 11 games last season, carrying the ball 153 times for 573 yards and three touchdowns. Through seven matchups in 2025, Walker has 95 carries for 430 yards and three touchdowns. Based on PFSN’s RB Impact metric, he is the 30th-ranked running back in the league.
While he’s in a committee with Zach Charbonnet, Walker has the advantage when it comes to yard production, doubling Charbonnet’s 205-yard output in 2025. However, Charbonnet has been the definition of a handcuff, outscoring Walker with five trips to the end zone.
Finding lanes has been a challenging task for Seattle’s backs in recent years; however, there appear to be some improvements in run blocking, allowing Walker to find more space this season. Add that to Darnold’s getting started with the passing game, and the Seahawks offense has been an impressive unit to start the season.
Darnold impressed a season ago with the Minnesota Vikings until the wheels fell off in the final week of the season. With the Seahawks trending in a similar direction, will Walker and the rest of Seattle’s offense be able to support Darnold as they eye a postseason run in head coach Mike Macdonald’s second year?