When it comes to the game of football, there’s nothing like a downhill runner to frustrate an opposing defensive unit. In the case of Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III, the team is certainly hoping that the former Michigan State standout is not in the midst of a downward spiral.
The 5’9”, 211-pound performer certainly knows his way to the end zone. In 41 regular-season contests, Walker has scored 26 touchdowns—eight or more in each of his three NFL campaigns. He also scored a TD in the club’s 2022 wild card loss at San Francisco.
Last season was a rough third campaign for the former Spartan, who put together a strong rookie showing in ‘22, then fell off a bit in 2023. He finished his debut season with 1,215 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. He ran for 100-plus yards in his last three regular-season outings. This season, he missed six games and totaled just 872 scrimmage yards, with eight touchdowns.
New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak appears confident that Walker will fit into his system, to say the least.
It’s interesting to note that while Walker carried the ball a career-low 153 times this past season in his 11 outings, he did catch a personal-best 46 passes, and totaled a career-high 299 receiving yards. A year ago, Kubiak was the Saints’ offensive coordinator and it’s hard to ignore the fact that five-time Pro Bowler Alvin Kamara had a bounce back year. The eight-year pro played in 14 games and ran for a career-high 950 yards. His 1,493 yards from scrimmage was his best showing since 2020
If Walker can stay healthier than he did in 2024, he’s certainly capable of having a career campaign. He could be an ideal fit for Kubiak, who dealt with three different starting quarterbacks in New Orleans this past season.
