The Seattle Seahawks placed running back Zach Charbonnet on the reserve/physically unable to perform list Sunday as they trimmed their roster to 53 players.
The move means the fourth-year back will miss at least the first four games of the 2026 regular season while he continues to recover from a torn ACL in his left knee.
Charbonnet tore the ligament during Seattle’s divisional-round playoff win over the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 17. He had surgery Feb. 20.
The designation is more restrictive than the active/PUP list he started training camp on. That earlier listing would have allowed the team to activate him at any point. Reserve/PUP locks him out until Week 5 at the earliest.
Head coach Mike Macdonald had left the door open for an aggressive return earlier this offseason. Asked in June whether Charbonnet could be ready for the opener, Macdonald said, “Everything’s possible,” while praising the running back’s work in rehab.
Sunday’s transaction closed that window.
Charbonnet produced career-best numbers last season. He carried 184 times for 730 yards and 12 touchdowns, becoming the first Seahawk since Marshawn Lynch in 2014 to reach double-digit rushing scores.
The timing of the injury compounds an already thin backfield. Kenneth Walker III, who led the team with 1,027 rushing yards a year ago, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.
Seattle responded by drafting Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price with the 32nd overall pick in April. Price averaged 6.0 yards per carry as a senior, finishing with 674 yards and 11 touchdowns on 113 attempts. He also contributed as a receiver and kickoff returner.
The Seahawks’ initial 53-man roster lists three healthy running backs: Price, free-agent addition Emanuel Wilson and George Holani.
No starter has been named for the Sept. 9 opener against the New England Patriots. Price’s first-round status and work with the first-team offense during the offseason program make him the most obvious candidate.
Macdonald highlighted Price’s receiving versatility during training camp. Holani has stayed in the mix for meaningful snaps, and Wilson adds veteran experience.
Charbonnet will miss the Patriots game, the Sept. 20 visit to Arizona, the Sept. 27 trip to Washington and the Oct. 4 home date with the Los Angeles Chargers. The earliest he can return is Oct. 11 against the 49ers.
Eligibility and medical clearance are not the same thing. The team has not identified Week 5 as a target date.
The Seahawks will have to open the season without either member of last year’s primary rushing tandem. That places immediate pressure on Price and the rest of the rebuilt running-back group.
Charbonnet’s actual return will depend on how his knee responds rather than the calendar. For the first month, at least, Seattle knows it will be without him.
