Running back Kenneth Walker has rarely been on the field at Seahawks practice this summer as the team manages his sore foot in hopes of having him available for the regular season.
Balancing health with the need to prepare for the season is something that all teams do in the preseason and the time off seems to agree with Walker. Walker said he “definitely” feels a difference in his performance after the extended rest and head coach Mike Macdonald said “when he’s been out there, he’s been really good.”
Macdonald also noted that there’s a downside to the time Walker has missed.
“There’s a lot of walkthrough reps that need to be had, but at some point, to your point, you’ve got to do it on the field so you feel confident to go out there and execute at a high level and play your best football,” Macdonald said, via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com. “So that’s something that we’re working through.”
Zach Charbonnet has been the beneficiary of Walker’s absence and he’s shown Macdonald that he’s “just a stud” in his work this summer. That could lead to a bigger role early in the season while Walker is getting all the way up to speed and a bigger share of the offensive workload overall if he’s able to produce in a more run-focused offense than the Seahawks had last season.
