> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Analysis: How Will Seahawks Replace Zach Charbonnet Heading Into NFC Championship Game? - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-seahawks-replace-zach-charbonnet-nfc-championship-game/ - Published: 2026-01-19T22:40:22.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:16:17.000Z - Author: Corbin Smith - Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Zach Charbonnet, George Holani, Jacardia Wright, Cam Akers, Velus Jones Jr. \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="4276"\] ![ Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani (36) runs the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_27607365-format-original-2.jpg) Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani (36) runs the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images \[/caption\] If the Seattle Seahawks are going to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game and advance to the Super Bowl for only the fourth time in franchise history, they will have to do so without their top touchdown producer. As announced by coach Mike Macdonald during his weekly radio show on Seattle Sports 710, the Seahawks will move forward without running back Zach Charbonnet, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Saturday’s 41-6 victory over the 49ers. He will undergo reconstructive knee surgery and has a lengthy rehabilitation ahead of him, likely facing the prospects of missing a significant chunk of the 2026 season as well. "It breaks your heart," Macdonald told hosts Mike Salk and Brock Huard. "He's going to need surgery. So, he has… got a good long road to come back. Our heart goes out to him. Prayers go out to Charbs. We love him, man.” While the Seahawks still have dynamic Ken Walker III atop the depth chart and coming off a 116-yard, three touchdown performance against the 49ers, with Charbonnet now heading to injured reserve and Kenny McIntosh being sidelined by his own ACL tear back in August, the team currently does not have another healthy back on the 53-man roster. This leaves plenty of questions in regard to how Macdonald and the coaching staff will proceed filling the void with the bruising back lost for the rest of the postseason. Looking at Seattle’s practice squad and injured reserve list, what options does the team have to replace Charbonnet starting this Sunday against Los Angeles? ### George Holani One of the latest undrafted success stories unearthed by general manager John Schneider and Seattle’s scouting department, Holani spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad before earning the third running back spot behind Walker and Charbonnet in training camp, benefiting from McIntosh’s unfortunate injury. Early on in the season, most of his contributions came on special teams, including scoring a touchdown on a bizarre kickoff where the Steelers failed to field the return and he recovered the football in the end zone for six points. He did log a career-high 10 carries in a Week 3 win over the Saints with Charbonnet sidelined that day, losing a fumble and rushing for 27 yards primarily running the ball in garbage time. But in early November, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak started to show more confidence in Holani, sprinkling him in as a third back as a reward for his efforts on the practice field and in meeting rooms. He rewarded the play caller’s faith by scoring a nine-yard touchdown run against the Cardinals in Week 10, finishing with 31 rushing yards on seven carries in that contest. He also received a pair of carries for six yards in the first matchup against the Rams, continuing to see a handful of snaps on offense each game before straining his hamstring on special teams in a Week 12 road win over the Titans. He has been on injured reserve ever since, though Macdonald indicated he could be a possibility to return this week on Monday. “George is an option,” Macdonald told reporters, opting not to give a specific answer when asked if Holani was fully recovered from his injury. “We’ll see how it goes this week.” If Holani has recovered fully from the hamstring strain that has left him on the shelf since November 29, Kubiak’s trust in him as a three-down back would seem to give him the edge as the best candidate to fill Charbonnet’s shoes. Though he doesn’t run with quite as much power or ferocity, the 210-pound back has the burst and wiggle to run past defenders and make them miss in space while packing enough of a punch at the contact point to drive his way to extra yardage, demonstrated by the fact he forced five missed tackles on just 22 carries. He’s also a solid pass protector and caught 90 passes in college, so there should be no reservations about using him in two-minute drill situations either. ### Cam Akers At one point, Akers looked primed to emerge as one of the NFL’s premier young backs, as he flashed great promise in his rookie season with the Rams rushing for 625 yards and scoring three combined touchdowns. But he missed nearly the entire 2022 season after suffering an Achilles tear and despite rushing for nearly 800 yards with seven touchdowns in 2023, Los Angeles moved on from him the following season, dealing him to Minnesota. Since then, Akers has racked up frequent flyer miles changing teams, spending multiple stints with the Vikings as well as a having a cup of tea with the Texans, Saints, and now the Seahawks. After signing with the practice squad in two different instances, he appeared in three games for Seattle in the regular season, and while he didn’t receive any carries on offense, he did return two kickoffs for 29 yards, helping step in alongside Rashid Shaheed with Tory Horton and Dareke Young both on injured reserve at the time. Now 26, Akers hasn’t been in the mix for substantial carries for an NFL team since 2023 and he has only logged five carries this year, all coming with the Vikings. With that said, he did run effectively in Houston and Minnesota last season, averaging 4.3 yards per carry while rushing 104 times for 444 yards and two touchdowns. Given his experience, if Holani isn’t available, Sunday would provide an intriguing revenge game storyline for the ex-Florida State star going against the team that drafted him, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he received his first few offensive touches behind Walker. ### Velus Jones Jr. Drafted by the Bears as a receiver/running back hybrid, Jones doesn’t have the resume Akers brings to the table, as he has amassed 19 carries for 165 yards and 12 catches for 135 yards with two total touchdowns in four NFL seasons. Like Akers, he’s bounced around, spending time in Chicago, New Orleans, and Seattle. Running the 40-yard dash in 4.31 seconds coming out of Tennessee, he’s been incredibly explosive when granted the opportunity in a limited sample size, however, averaging 8.7 yards per rush and 11.3 yards per reception while posting a career 19.6% explosive play rate and a 29.2% explosive run rate. It may be telling that the Seahawks opted to elevate Jones instead of Akers for the Divisional Round, hinting that he may be ahead of his teammate on the pecking order due to his blazing speed and background as a receiver, offering some similarities to Shaheed in that regard. He has had ball security issues in the past with two drops and a fumble, but the fact Kubiak has had no issue plugging him in after Charbonnet’s injury indicates the team has plenty of confidence in him. Add in his special teams talents as a return man insurance policy and he may be back No. 2 behind Walker on Sunday. ### Jacardia Wright If Jones is the wild card, Wright fits the term of incredibly deep sleeper. The undrafted rookie out of Missouri State suffered an undisclosed injury in his lone regular season game for the Seahawks after he rushed five times for 20 yards against the Saints in Week 3 and has been on the practice squad injured reserve ever since. Seeing how Wright hasn’t even practiced since mid-September, it’s hard to believe Seattle would turn to him for the NFC Championship Game. But the 218-pound bruiser would offer some of the physicality between the tackles lost with Charbonnet being out and he has been a smooth pass catcher dating back to his college career, so if he actually is healthy, reactivating him to the practice squad and seeing how he looks on the field may be an under-the-radar alternative.