Charbonnet has officially been designated to return from the PUP list, meaning he's back on the practice field.
The Seattle Seahawks got some welcome news this week as running back Zach Charbonnet was designated to return from PUP.
After an ACL injury ended his season last year in the playoffs, the brute of a back had to watch his team win the Super Bowl and then be sidelined for most of the offseason; that's a hard pill to swallow.
But Mike Macdonald stated earlier in the week that Charbonnet might be close to returning to the practice field, and now we know officially that he's back.
Granted, it will be a ramp-up period, as Zach is likely still months away from returning to the field in a game, but this is a big milestone for the running back to check off his list.
And quarterback Sam Darnold knows what having Charbonnet back on the team will do for the Seahawks.
"Having Zach back in general, to just have his presence, Zach, a man of few words, doesn't say a whole lot, but just the way he leads by example, every single day of just coming to work and doing his job, that's huge for us as a team," Darnold said.
With Jadarian Price, Emanuel Wilson and George Holani holding down the fort until Charbonnet returns, the trio has had a mixed start to 2026.
Held to under 100 yards by the New England Patriots in Week 1, the ground game bounced back in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, rushing for 162 yards, before just 44 against the Washington Commanders.
So, we have seen some good, bad, and ugly from this running game through three weeks, but we imagine they will improve as the year goes on and as they understand Brian Fleury's system more.
And to have Charbonnet working his way back to full health is a nice little motivator because when he does return, someone will be pushed aside.
Which makes what each player does in these next handful of games crucial, because as Darnold stated, Charbonnet brings a whole lot to this offense.
