Charbonnet is recovering from an ACL injury, but when he will be healthy enough to return is unknown.
One of the big areas of intrigue for the Seattle Seahawks this offseason was at the running back position.
The defending champs lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency, and backup Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in the Divisional round of the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers.
That left Kenny McIntosh and George Holani as the backs who new coordinator Mike Fleury could count on.
But during the offseason, Seattle signed free agent Emanuel Wilson and then drafted Jadarian Price in the first round. That boosts the numbers for Fleury.
However, there are questions over the room, given that Holani, McIntosh, and Wilson have all been just career backups, and Price, as a rookie, is an unknown commodity.
Which is why some have been asking when Charbonnet will return from injury to be the lead back.
ACL injuries used to be at least a 12-month recovery, but with recent advancements in that space, the time to return is much shorter.
And for ESPN's Brady Henderson, he's given a loose timeline for Charbonnet's return in 2026.
"The Seahawks' Co-RB1 from last season is recovering from February surgery to repair the ACL tear he suffered in the divisional round of the playoffs," Henderson wrote. "Typically, that timing would sideline a player until at least the tail end of the regular season.
"The Seahawks drafted Jadarian Price with the 32nd pick knowing Charbonnet will miss much of 2026, but comments from the team have seemed to convey a hope that with his work ethic, he'll have a chance to return earlier than most players in his situation would. Any time in December would be a huge win for an offense that will again be centered around its run game."
A December return would be ideal for the Seahawks.
That would leave Charbonnet six weeks to get his feet underneath him again, before what the Seahawks hope will be another playoff run.
Of course, that is provided everything goes smoothly, and in the NFL, we know that it doesn't take much to bump things off course.
So, the Seahawks will be cautious with Zach, knowing what he can bring to the offense when healthy (730 yards, 12 TDs in 2025), and he could be viewed as RB1 when he returns.
But when he will return is still a little guessing game, however if it is in December, Seattle might just get the ideal pick-me-up ahead of another playoff run.
