Kenneth Walker returns to Seahawks practice, for now; Tory Horton injury update
Kenneth Walker was back. Again.
The Seahawks’ lead running back’s on-again, off-again training camp was back on Sunday morning. Walker was full go for the practice in shells, helmet and shorts. He ran with the ball and caught passes from quarterback Sam Darnold on the first-team offense in 11-on-11 scrimmaging.
Walker has missed Seattle’s bulldozing running and run-blocking by the offensive line in each of the team’s first two preseason games. The Seahawks have run for 170 yards on the Raiders and 268 yards against the Chiefs. All those yards have been with Zach Charbonnet and George Holani as lead runners, not Walker.
Walker’s been sidelined for multiple-day stretches this month with what coach Mike Macdonald has described as a sore foot.
Macdonald said following Walker’s latest return to full duty the plan is for the lead rusher to be full go Thursday. That’s when the Seahawks’ starters practice against the Packers’ starters in a joint practice in Green Bay.
Walker missed six of 17 games last season. He finished the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury in December. He’s yet to play a full 17-game season in any of his first three years in the NFL, since Seattle drafted him in the second round from Michigan State in 2022.
The Seahawks held Walker out of offseason practices this spring.
“He looks great. He looks fast. He’s hitting his targets, reading it out pretty well. It’s exciting to have him out there, you know,” Macdonald said Sunday.
“When he’s been out there, it’s been pretty good.”
When he’s been out there.
The Seahawks are into the final week of their preseason. There is a growing sense Walker needs to string together full-go practices to get a better feel for new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s and new line coach John Benton’s outside-zone run-blocking scheme. The new system demands running backs have precise timing and synchronizing with the blockers at the assigned point of attack, at exactly the assigned time in the play.
Macdonald was asked where he was in the balance of protecting Walker from more injuries with him needing to get practice repetitions full go before the opening game Sept. 7 against San Francisco.
“Yeah, it’s a great question. It’s a balance,” the head coach said.
“There’s a lot of walk-through reps that need to be had. But at some point, to your point, you’ve got to do it on the field so that you feel confident here and execute at a high level and play your best football.
“That’s something that we’re working through.”
Tory Horton update
Tory Horton missed practice Sunday. He came out wearing his practice jersey over sweatpants and sneakers, not cleats, without his helmet.
The rookie fifth-round draft choice from Colorado State watched Marquez Valdes-Scantling take his place as the third wide receiver in the starting offense during full-team scrimmaging later in the workout.
Horton left the preseason game Friday against Kansas City and went into the locker room with what Macdonald said was an ankle injury.
Sunday, all Macdonald specified about Horton’s injury was that it was, again, “an ankle.”
Asked if the team believed it was a series injury, Macdonald said: “Not to my knowledge.”
This story was originally published August 17, 2025 at 1:11 PM.
