Zach Charbonnet, Ty Okada Return to Practice as Seahawks Ramp Up Preparations for Chargers
While it remains to be seen when either player will suit up for game action for the first time in 2026, the Seattle Seahawks welcomed back two key starters to the practice field with running back Zach Charbonnet and safety Ty Okada returning as limited participants on Thursday.
Designated to return from the PUP list, Charbonnet’s latest step shifts him one step closer to the end of a difficult journey recovering from a torn ACL. The fourth-year back injured his knee during a Divisional Round victory over the 49ers in January and didn’t undergo surgery to repair the ligament until February 20, putting his status for the upcoming season up in the air with just five months until the start of training camp.
But Charbonnet has seemingly been well ahead of schedule throughout the process, drawing praise from coach Mike Macdonald on numerous occasions for his outstanding work ethic and attacking his rehabilitation program from Day 1. Barely seven months after his surgery, he could be seen cutting on the practice field and donning a helmet for the first time since the injury, moving closer to a much-anticipated return for a Seattle backfield that certainly could use him.
“Having Zach back in general, just to have his presence, obviously Zach - man of many words, right?” quarterback Sam Darnold joked. “Doesn’t say a whole lot, but just the way he leads by example every single day of just coming to work and doing his job, that’s huge for us as a team.”
Seahawks Must Balance Long Game With Immediate Need as Zach Charbonnet Nears Return
After rushing for just 44 yards in a road loss to the Washington Commanders last weekend, much-needed help may be on the way in the near future for the Seattle Seahawks as the team weighs when to designate Zach Charbonnet to return to practice.
On Monday, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald remained non-committal on whether or not Charbonnet would practice this week, which would open his 21-day window to be activated to the 53-man roster. The fourth-year back has made quite the rapid recovery from a torn ACL suffered in a Divisional Round win over the 49ers in January and reconstructive knee surgery in late February.
“We’re still working through that process,” Macdonald said. “I’m sure we’ll have an answer by sometime tomorrow, whether or not he’ll start practicing this week. It’s not out of the question yet, we just haven’t had an update.”
During Seattle’s off day on Tuesday, the team didn’t announce anything on the Charbonnet front, leaving his status in question. But that doesn’t mean a decision wasn’t made behind the scenes, and before Wednesday’s practice, Macdonald again indicated a decision had not been made and that the veteran back could potentially practice on Thursday.
Considering how much Seattle has struggled running the football in two of the first three games, particularly in short yardage and goal line situations, bringing back Charbonnet as soon as possible would be the perfect ingredient to throw into the pot and spice up a rushing attack that currently doesn’t have enough bite to it. But the team also can’t afford to rush him back too quickly either, making the decision on when to get him back on the practice field a multi-layered one.
Seahawks Injury Report: Tory Horton to Make 2026 Debut vs. Cardinals, Zach Charbonnet on the Mend
Coach Mike Macdonald remained coy as usual on the status of two noteworthy starters following Friday’s walkthrough practice, but the Seattle Seahawks will at least have their full receiving arsenal on tap for backup quarterback Drew Lock in Arizona.
Per Macdonald, the Seahawks will finally welcome second-year wideout Tory Horton back to the lineup for the first time in nearly a calendar year, marking his first game action since a shin injury cost him the final eight regular season games as well as the entire Super Bowl run as a rookie. A hamstring injury suffered during training camp ended up knocking him out of preseason action and he didn’t dress for the team’s 13-10 win over the Patriots in their season opener last week.
“Tory’s back. Had a great week at practice, excited to see him play. He’s worked hard,” Macdonald said.
It’s been a long haul back for Horton, who confirmed in the early stages of training camp that he played through the injury for several weeks before landing on injured reserve, undergoing surgery after the Super Bowl and having a rod inserted into his leg. Requiring several months of healing, he didn’t participate in Seattle’s on-field offseason activities, but he avoided starting the new season on the PUP list and gradually ramped up his practice work before his latest setback occurred in mid-August.
Tory Horton Returns as Seahawks Begin Training Camp With Mostly Encouraging Health Updates
Approaching the midway point of the 2025 season, a wide open Offensive Rookie of the Year race had a surprise contender emerge from the Seattle Seahawks’ potent top-five scoring offense in the form of Tory Horton.
Falling into the fifth round after missing a significant chunk of his senior season at Colorado State with a knee/hamstring injury, Horton bounced back from the setback to quickly become one of Sam Darnold’s favorite targets on his new team. Though he only had caught 13 passes in nine games, five of those receptions put points on the scoreboard, including a pair of touchdowns in a 38-14 blowout win over the Commanders on Sunday Night Football in Week 9, tying him with superstar Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the team lead in receiving touchdowns.
Despite playing the entirety of the blowout win in Landover, Horton unexpectedly dealt with shin soreness in the days that followed the victory, first missing a handful of practices with hopes the injury wouldn’t sideline him for long. However, after missing a Week 10 win over Arizona, the shin showed no signs of improvement, leading to a stint on injured reserve that transitioned from being a projected four-week absence initially into the season-ending variety, keeping him out all the way through Seattle’s Super Bowl run and even into the offseason program this spring as he recovered from an injury far worse than anyone expected.
Seahawks Minicamp Takeaways: Nick Emmanwori Adding New Wrinkle, Zach Charbonnet Progresses
Launching the final phase of their offseason program, the Seattle Seahawks kicked off mandatory minicamp on Tuesday with the vast majority of players on the field, including the return of veterans Demarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams.
What stood out of from Day 1 of Seattle’s annual three-day minicamp? Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s session at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center:
1. Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba steering towards midseason form in the final week of the offseason program.
Crazily enough, Darnold and Smith-Njigba turned in a historic 2025 season combining to link up for over 1,700 yards and 10 touchdowns with limited practice time, as the two had never played together prior to hitting the field for the first time last April. But they developed outstanding chemistry seemingly overnight with the quarterback and receiver lighting it up throughout the offseason program and training camp before leading the charge for a top-five scoring offense on the way to a Super Bowl victory.
On the heels of that immense success, Smith-Njigba had some bad news for opponents on Tuesday, sending a message on the field and at the podium that the two stars expect to be even more in sync in their second season in tandem. After a somewhat quiet trio of OTA practices, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year jumped back into dominant form, starting with a nifty 20-yard catch on a quick out route where he managed to beat the quarter-quarter side of a Cover 6 look outside to make the catch before the outside cornerback could even blink, setting up a Jason Myers field goal in a two-minute drill situation.
Three-Year Outlook: Seahawks in Great Shape for Present, Future Offensively
As the calendar flips to April and the 2026 NFL Draft rapidly approaches, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves in the heat of the offseason, continuing to look into ways to improve their roster scanning the free agent market along with wrapping up draft evaluations while also exploring extensions to retain several of their top players.
While building the best roster for the upcoming season remains the top goal with eyes on defending their Super Bowl title, Seahawks general manager John Schneider also has to be cognizant of the future, making every decision in regard to free agency, extensions, and the draft with a multi-year window in mind.
Now less than a month away from the draft, how does Seattle’s offense look for both the present and the future?
Seahawks’ Odds of Re-signing Ken Walker III Dwindle Following Breece Hall Franchise Tag
The legal tampering period leading up to the start of a new NFL league year remains six days away, but the chances of Ken Walker III returning to the Seattle Seahawks took a significant hit on Tuesday thanks to an expected move made by the New York Jets with their own star running back.
According to Connor Hughes of SNYTV, the Jets have placed the franchise tag on running back Breece Hall, eliminating the possibility of the former second round pick hitting the market when free agency opens on March 11. Under the terms of the fully-guaranteed tender, he would earn $14.23 million in 2026, which would be the fifth-highest cap number among backs next season.
Continuing to negotiate during last week’s NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, New York tried to hammer out a long-term deal with Hall to avoid having to use the exclusive tag, but the two sides weren’t able to reach an agreement. The organization considered using the transition tag, which would have been a bit cheaper at $11.32 million, but other teams were expected to make a run at him offering more money with the risk of losing the standout runner without compensation in return, leading to the choice to franchise tag him instead.
Analysis: How Does Zach Charbonnet Injury Impact Seahawks’ Offseason Game Plan?
Winning the Super Bowl in the NFL requires a talented roster and strong coaching. But teams that make it all the way to the mountaintop also need good fortune, particularly when it comes to injuries.
Capturing the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in franchise history earlier this month, the Seattle Seahawks checked off all three of those boxes. General manager John Schneider assembled the deepest, most talented roster in the league with coach Mike Macdonald and a fantastic staff maximizing on that talent, and health-wise, the team suffered far fewer significant injuries than other playoff teams.
With that said, the Seahawks didn’t escape the season without a substantial injury happening in the playoffs as they orchestrated their run to the Super Bowl, as standout running back Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in a 41-6 Divisional Round beatdown of the 49ers. There’s never a good time for such an injury to occur, but in the case of Charbonnet, blowing out his knee so late in the season creates a conundrum that the organization will have to navigate heading into free agency and the upcoming NFL draft.
Analysis: What Would Re-Signing Ken Walker III Look Like For Seahawks?
The Super Bowl MVP trophy is freshly etched with Ken Walker III’s name after his heroics in Super Bowl LX. His 135 rushing yards against the Patriots earned him the first Super Bowl MVP for a running back since Terrell Davis in 1998.
Now, he is set to be a free agent. He certainly enters the market on the highest of high notes, rushing for a whopping 313 yards in three playoff games, including three rushing touchdowns in that blowout win over the 49ers in the Divisional Round. He amassed 771 scrimmage yards, averaged 5.2 yards per carry, and scored five touchdowns across Seattle's final six games overall.
Needless to say, Walker has some negotiating leverage and the Seahawks have plenty of motivation to bring him back.
Top 12 Moments From Seahawks’ Super Bowl-Winning 2025 Season
The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl LX champions! Yes, keep saying that to yourself. Anytime you are feeling down, sad, anxious, or just plain bored, look at that photo of Mike Macdonald and Sam Darnold staring into the reflection of the Lombardi Trophy and feel all your troubles melt away.
As is the nature of the NFL, it rolls on like a fierce locomotive, not caring whether or not you want to pause a moment to smell the roses (or the yellow Gatorade). Free agency is less than a month away. The NFL Combine is even sooner. The NFL Draft is just over two months away.
One last time, let’s look back, instead of forward. These are 12 top moments of the 2025 season, that happened before the Seahawks lifted the Lombardi Trophy in Santa Clara.
Analysis: How Will Seahawks Replace Zach Charbonnet Heading Into NFC Championship Game?
The Seahawks will have to continue their run pursuing a Super Bowl without their top touchdown scorer. What options does Seattle have to fill the void without Zach Charbonnet?
‘Breaks Your Heart’: Seahawks Lose Zach Charbonnet to Season-Ending ACL Tear
Suffering a major blow in the backfield heading into the NFC Championship Game, the Seahawks won’t have Zach Charbonnet for the rest of the season, creating short and long-term questions for the franchise.
Burning Questions: What to Watch as Seahawks Host 49ers in Divisional Round
Facing off for the second time in just 14 days, the Seahawks and 49ers will embark in a unique playoff chess match with a trip to the NFC Championship Game on the line. Which key questions will dictate which rival moves one win closer to the Super Bowl?
Seahawks’ Divisional Round Hopes May Rest on Sam Darnold’s Arm, Decision Making
The Seahawks won a franchise-record 14 games thanks to a budding run game paired with a top-ranked defense and elite special teams corps. But to survive and advance in the postseason, starting on Saturday, they likely will need their quarterback to rise to the moment.
Seahawks to Rekindle 49ers Rivalry in Divisional Round Rematch
Playing the same divisional opponent in back-to-back games for only the second time in franchise history, the Seahawks’ path to the NFC Championship Game runs through their most bitter rival.
Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet Delivered Historic Efficiency in 2025
Zach Charbonnet doesn’t rank among league leaders in rushing yards and won’t be in the mix for All-Pro or Pro Bowl consideration. But he’s had a historic season as the backfield partner for Ken Walker III, playing an underrated role in the Seahawks rise to the No. 1 seed.
Top-Seeded Seahawks’ Ground Attack Coming Alive at Perfect Time
Keying the franchise’s quick ascent to Super Bowl contender, after a slow start in Klint Kubiak’s offense early in the fall, Ken Walker, Zach Charbonnet, and a rapidly improving offensive line have the Seahawks armed and ready to make noise in January.
Rapid Reaction: Seahawks Relegate 49ers’ Offense Punch-less, Win NFC West With 13-3 Victory
Despite not capitalizing on a couple of promising drives with any points, the Seahawks had plenty of margin for error on the way to an NFC West title as a suffocating defense put on a clinic shutting down the 49ers. How did Seattle get it done at Levis Stadium?
Halftime Observations: Seahawks Play Bully Ball, Take 10-3 Lead Over 49ers
Winning consistently at the line of scrimmage, the Seahawks kept leaning on the ground game to build a seven-point lead over the 49ers in the NFC West title game, though two botched drives loom large heading into the final two quarters.
Comparing Rivals: How Do Seahawks, 49ers’ Offenses Stack Up Against Each Other?
Orchestrating similar, yet not identical offensive schemes, the Seahawks and 49ers have been among the NFL’s best at putting points on the board in 2025. Which team has the edge at each offensive position group heading into the NFC West title game on Saturday?
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