Could the Seattle Seahawks have asked for better news heading into Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs? Not really! Seattle activated running back Zach Charbonnet from the physically unable to perform list as he comes back from injury. That’s a big deal for an offense that badly needs a spark in the run game.

Charbonnet opened the year on the PUP list after undergoing major reconstructive knee surgery. He suffered the injury (torn left ACL) in the divisional round during the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run last season, and he has been working his way back ever since.

Why the Seahawks had to make a move

Seattle opened Charbonnet’s 21-day return-to-practice window in late September. That clock forced a decision. If the Seahawks didn’t activate him, he would have been placed on injured reserve for the rest of the year.

Look, nobody expected that to happen. Seattle was always going to bring him back, and the practice reports back that up. Charbonnet was a full participant on both Wednesday and Thursday, which puts him on track to suit up Sunday against Kansas City.

The timing couldn’t be better. The Seahawks placed Jadarian Price, their rookie first-round pick out of Notre Dame, on injured reserve Oct. 3 with a chest injury. Price originally got hurt in Week 2 and then re-aggravated it in practice, which left Seattle without either of the two backs it was counting on.

I mean look, things were getting desperate. Seattle almost even signed veteran Joe Mixon after bringing him in for a workout, before they got cold feet. 

Holding things together without Charbonnet and Price

In the meantime, Seattle has tried to make it work with George Holani and Emanuel Wilson. Both backs have shown some positive moments. Obviously, neither has given the Seahawks the kind of production that Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price can provide.

Wilson has been the more consistent of the two so far. Still, Holani turned in maybe his best game as a Seahawk last Thursday night against Denver, so there could be some promise there too. Having both of them as depth behind Charbonnet is a much better spot than leaning on them as the top options.

Now, here’s why this matters so much. The Seattle offense has been struggling, and quarterback Sam Darnold has been turning the football over. He has been under a lot of pressure because the pass protection hasn’t held up. Mike Macdonald alluded to that in his press conference following the loss to Denver. 

I think getting the run game back to form is the single biggest thing that can help this offense. A healthy Charbonnet takes pressure off Darnold, keeps defenses honest, and gives the offensive line a chance to play downhill instead of sitting back and getting beat. It might not all click in his first game back, but the Seahawks need it to click soon.

Holani and Wilson have done their part, or at the very least, attempted to. But nothing is more promising for Seattle than seeing Charbonnet back on the field.

A familiar face waiting in Kansas City

Here’s the part that might sting for Seahawks fans on Sunday night. Kenneth Walker will be taking snaps for the Chiefs, and getting plenty of touches.

Walker was the Seahawks’ Super Bowl MVP in February. Kansas City picked him up in free agency, and he has been an absolute monster for the Chiefs so far. Watching him produce in red and gold while Seattle has juggled backup running backs is going to be tough for a lot of people in the Pacific Northwest.

Safe to say, with all the injuries piling up, the Seahawks have missed Walker. You can’t lose your Super Bowl MVP and your first-round rookie and expect the run game to look the same.

That’s exactly why Charbonnet’s return carries so much weight. He isn’t Walker, and he doesn’t have to be. Seattle just needs a reliable back who can handle a real workload and give Darnold some breathing room.

I’ll tell you this much: the Seahawks’ offense is going to look a lot more like itself with Zach Charbonnet back in the lineup. Maybe not overnight, but give him a couple of weeks to knock off the rust, and Seattle’s run game is going to start giving defenses problems again.