Latest on Seahawks’ Zach Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh recoveries: 1 whoa!, 1 meh
Could Zach Charbonnet be back for the season opener?
Not even four months after the Seahawks’ running back had reconstructive knee surgery, it would normally be folly to ask such a question. The normal recovery time from torn anterior cruciate ligaments and resulting surgery is eight to 12 months. Normally that would put Charbonnet back in mid-October. That would be well into the Super Bowl champions’ 2026 season. Coach Mike Macdonald had said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis in late February, soon after Charbonnet’s surgery, he wouldn’t be doing anything on the field this spring.
Yet Charbonnet was on the field during Seattle’s mandatory minicamp. He was in the corner of the field doing high-knee hurdler striding, rapid-fire steps and lateral steps with a trainer for about 15 minutes at the start of practice Tuesday.
The News Tribune asked coach Mike Macdonald Wednesday following the second of three minicamp practices if Charbonnet is what he appears to be: ahead of schedule in his recovery.
“If you’re going to guess what type of schedule Zach Charbonnet would be on, that’s the type of schedule he’s on,” Macdonald said of the 25-year-old renowned in the Seahawks locker room for his work ethic. “Doing a great job. I know he has high expectations for himself. Look forward to see where it ends up.”
The TNT asked the coach: Is there a possibility he could be back at the start of the season? That’s Sept. 9, the team’s Super Bowl rematch against New England at Lumen Field as the league’s kickoff game for 2026.
“Everything’s possible, yeah,” Macdonald said, with a wry grin.
Charbonnet injured his knee early in the Seahawks’ win over San Francisco Jan. 18. Seattle’s second-round draft choice in 2023 had surgery the following month, after swelling subsided.
Two of many reasons Charbonnet is motivated to return quickly: This is the final year of his rookie contract; and the Seahawks selected running back Jadarian Price in the first round of this year’s draft.
Kenny McIntosh status
Another Seahawks running back could return to practice sooner than Charbonnet.
Maybe.
Kenny McIntosh hasn’t been on the Seahawks’ field training at a practice since he tore the ACL in his left knee last July 26, a non-contact injury in the fourth practice of training camp in 2025. The team’s seventh-round pick in 2023 is also entering the final year of his rookie deal.
His coach made it sound as though McIntosh could begin training camp July 25 on the Seahawks’ physically-unable-to-perform list.
“Kenny is good,” Macdonald said Wednesday. “We’ll see come training camp time how we handle it. He’s coming along.”
With Charbonnet and McIntosh not practicing, and Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker gone and signed with Kansas City in free agency this offseason, the lead backs in Seattle’s offseason practices that end Thursday have been third-year veteran George Holani and Price. They have been basically 1 and 1A, Holani with Price, on the first-team offense in minicamp this week.
Emanuel Wilson has been the third running back running mostly with Jalen Milroe and the third-team offense so far. Wilson signed this offseason as a free agent from Green Bay. His contract is for one year at $1.6 million, with only $300,000 of it guaranteed.
Late-July return for Tory Horton?
The team website posted a picture May 7 of Tory Horton catching passes while standing on the practice field during an offseason workout.
Yet Horton remains sidelined from practices following the wide receiver’s unspecified shin injury from early November that prematurely ended his rookie season. His coach sounded optimistic Horton may be on the field for most if not all of training camp.
“Still all positive with Tory,” Macdonald said. “He’s not going to do anything (in minicamp). We should be looking at early on in (training) camp, if not the beginning of camp. If we stay on schedule and everything goes well, we’ll be praying that he can be out there.
“You’ve got to be smart on how he comes back and all that. I don’t want to put a timetable on it. Could be anywhere from day one he’s rocking and rolling, or it could be a couple days. We’ll see.”
