Seahawks rookie RB Zach Charbonnet out indefinitely with shoulder injury

The start of Zach Charbonnet‘s NFL career has been derailed, at least slightly. The former Michigan and UCLA running back sustained an injury that will keep him sidelined.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll revealed that Charbonnet suffered a shoulder injury. He will be out indefinitely.

Seattle selected Charbonnet in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The running back will meet with doctors to determine the severity and potentially develop a timetable for a return to the field.

Seahawks’ HC Pete Carroll told reporters that rookie RB Zach Charbonnet has a shoulder injury and is out indefinitely.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 30, 2023

Charbonnet spent the first two years of his college career at Michigan. He appeared in 18 games in 2019 and 2020, rushing for 850 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Wolverines.

Following the 2020 campaign, Charbonnet entered the transfer portal and wound up at UCLA. He found his groove with the Bruins, eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark each of his two seasons in Los Angeles.

Last year, Charbonnet piled up 1,359 yards and rushed for 14 touchdowns. He also caught 37 passes for 321 yards.

Charbonnet could’ve stepped in immediately and helped the Seahawks’ offense. That’s still a possibility, but the team will have to learn about the severity of his shoulder injury, first.

Kenneth Walker also out for Seahawks

Seattle’s backfield is a little banged up right now. Not only is Charbonnet battling a shoulder injury but running back Kenneth Walker III is dealing with a groin injury, per Carroll.

The team plans to hold Walker out in an effort to heal the injury. After his success as a rookie in 2022, it’s probably the right move by the Seahawks staff.

Walker ended his rookie campaign with 1,050 yards on 228 carries. He reached the end zone nine times and also added 165 receiving yards to his production total.

The Seahawks finished the 2022 regular season with a 9-8 record and snuck into the NFC playoffs. But their time in the postseason didn’t last long. Seattle dropped the Wild Card game to San Francisco, falling 41-23. Walker finished the game with 63 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

Seattle will rely heavily on four running backs during training camp — and possibly the preseason — while Charbonnet and Walker recover. Those backs are DeeJay Dallas, Bryant Koback, Kenny McIntosh and Wayne Taulapapa, per CBS Sports.

The Seahawks open preseason action on Aug. 10 against the Minnesota Vikings. They also have contests against the Dallas Cowboys (Aug. 19) and Green Bay Packers (Aug. 26).