The Seattle Seahawks are looking to play a physical brand of football in 2025. For that vision to be its best, they'll need running back Kenneth Walker III at his best. There's just one problem — Walker III has been battling a foot injury this summer and hasn't gotten himself rolling for the build-up to the 2025 season.
2025 is a huge opportunity for Walker III, who is in the final year of his rookie contract. He, too, will undoubtedly want to be a featured piece of the puzzle. Is this cautious approach to camp something to be worried about?
Not according to Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III continues on conservative training camp plan
"We have a plan for Ken, and we're sticking to the plan."
- Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald per ESPN's Brady Henderson
There are plenty of examples across the league in recent years of players treated with deliberate and cautious treatment plans and practice strategies to get them to the start of the regular season fully healthy. But the question for Seattle is going to be less about if they can get Walker feeling 100% for the start of the season and more if he is going to be ready for the rigors of the start of the season with a cautious camp.
Walker fought through several injuries in 2024, including an oblique injury in Week 1, a calf injury late in the year and then a season-ending ankle sprain that put him on injured reserve. In 2023, Walker missed two weeks of training camp with a groin injury and then missed two games mid-season with an oblique strain. There hasn't been a catastrophic or major injury on Walker's ledger through his first three years — it's mostly been lingering lower body injuries going back to his time at Michigan State. The foot soreness he's felt this summer is the latest example and makes for a scary proposition and a delicate balancing act for Seattle to walk to get him right and ready for the season at the same time.
So far, the Seahawks seem to believe they're on schedule. But this is a storyline to watch as Walker looks to establish himself as an upper echelon running back in a contract year. He's got the talent. But can he put it all together and, more importantly, stay healthy in 2025? Only time will tell.
