The Seattle Seahawks and their fans need a little hope at running back in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs, but they won't be getting that from Zach Charbonnet, who is out for the game.

Charbonnet has missed the NFC Championship, Super Bowl LX and the first six games of the 2026 season with a torn ACL that he suffered in the Divisional Round of the 2025-26 playoffs.

It's a remarkable recovery time of just over nine months, and the Seahawks desperately need him back. Seattle gambled on Charbonnet after letting Kenneth Walker III — who they will see on Sunday — leave in free agency.

In the meantime, the Seahawks' stable of running backs has not delivered. Potential trade targets have emerged, and Charbonnet now needs to silence when he returns to the field.

Charbonnet's performance is most important among Seahawks

The major question is how much Charbonnet will play when he comes back. If he gets an RB1 workload and is healthy enough to handle it, there's reason to believe that Charbonnet could immediately return to his previous effectiveness.

A big performance from Charbonnet will not only boost the Seahawks by making the offense much more functional, but it'll also quiet the demands to make an addition to the running back room.

Seattle has to justify sticking with their current players, who are currently averaging a cumulative 3.9 yards per carry and have a combined five fumbles (four lost). Charbonnet has zero career fumbles and a career average of 4.1 yards per carry.

Charbonnet totaled 184 carries for 734 yards and 12 touchdowns in 16 regular season games last season. He can be the immediate difference to rejuvenate the offense, but he has to be healthy enough to do so. Avoid the big contract that will have to be paid or inherited by a trade.

The Seahawks need to see a decent amount from Charbonnet before the trade deadline on November 10 so they can make the best decision possible about whether they need to add reinforcements at the position. Knowing that he'll miss Week 7 against the Chiefs, the margin for error becomes that much tighter.

Kickoff between the Chiefs and Seahawks is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. PT inside Lumen Field. Fans can watch the game on NBC or stream it on Peacock.