Running back Kenneth Walker sees running back Cam Akers, who’s started a Super Bowl, show up.
Walker has a right to wonder: What in the name of Curt Warner is going on here in my Seahawks backfield?
According to his coach, Walker has been earning increasing carries and snaps away from his season-long job share with Zach Charbonnet to be Seattle’s featured running back. Coach Mike Macdonald has said that at the start of the last two weeks. That’s been after Walker’s 67 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown at the Los Angeles Rams, and 71 yards on 11 rushes last weekend at Tennessee.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThen Wednesday, Akers walked into the Seahawks locker room. The 26-year-old veteran of the Rams, Texans and Vikings signed directly onto Seattle’s active, 53-man roster. Akers stood in the middle of his new locker room with his phone. A new teammate was helping Akers through the Seahawks playbook he had just downloaded. He was explaining Seattle’s offensive terminology and walking him through plays strolling across the carpet.
That new teammate was Walker. Beyond making tacklers miss and running away from others, graciousness is apparently another of Walker’s traits.
Still: What’s the Rams’ lead back in the Super Bowl three years ago doing in Seattle?
“We’re happy to have him. I just met him, saw him on the practice field,” offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said following Akers’ first practice Wednesday. “I have a lot of respect for what he’s done throughout his career.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I think with us having an injury, it’s a great pickup.”
That injury is to George Holani. The third running back, the 2024 undrafted free agent from Boise State, injured his hamstring on special teams last weekend during Seattle’s win at Tennessee. Holani did not practice Wednesday. Coach Mike Macdonald says he’s a candidate to go on injured reserve. Akers is the new third back behind Walker and Charbonnet.
Yet it was noticeable Akers signed straight onto Seattle’s active roster and not onto the practice squad, as three-time Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs in his return. Diggs re-signed with the Seahawks Wednesday.
His 53-man spot and contract indicate Akers may have had other potential teams to sign with as a free agent, and that he may have signed elsewhere to an active roster if Seattle had offered the lesser, practice-squad acclimation route Diggs got. Akers spent the first month of this season on Minnesota’s practice squad, then got elevated for the maximum three games before the Vikings released him.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I’m excited to see what he can do for us,” Kubiak said of Akers.
As in Sunday, when the Seahawks (8-3) host Akers’ recent Minnesota Vikings (4-7)?
“To be determined,” Kubiak said.
Head coach Mike Macdonald cited his respect for Akers, and that the running back “has a lot of relationships with him from prior stops,” as reasons Seattle signed him.
“System familiar to ours. Expect him to step right in and do a great job,” Macdonald said.
The second reason Akers is here: It’s Minnesota week for Seattle.
Akers, 26, played six games in 2023, 12 games in ‘24 and parts of three more this season for the Vikings. He played on just 4% of Minnesota’s offensive snaps this season through Oct. 5. The Vikings released him last weekend.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt’s as common as yard lines and goal posts in this league for teams to sign a player recently released from an upcoming opponent. New coaches and teammates quiz the arrival on schemes and approaches his now-former team runs. It’s the NFL’s long-time counter-intelligence operation in season.
The Rams did it to the Seahawks Wednesday. L.A. claimed back off waivers Derion Kendrick, the cornerback the Rams drafted, a day after Seattle waived him Tuesday. The Rams and Seahawks play again Dec. 18 at Lumen Field.
Akers said the Seahawks called him at the beginning of this week, within two days of Minnesota releasing him Saturday and five days before the Vikings play in Seattle.
“(I’m familiar) with the coaches, some of the players, a lot of them when we were in L.A. together. So that helps,” Akers said of the Seahawks.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe played with Seattle wide receiver Cooper Kupp on the Rams. He played with Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold last season on the Vikings.
“That helps a lot,” Akers said.
Cam Akers (23) and Cooper Kupp (10, right) of the Los Angeles Rams following a play in the first quarter against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at SoFi Stadium on January 30, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Akers said he’s already getting up to speed on Seattle’s playbook this week.
“Not much different, at all. A little bit of terminology,” he said. “But once you’ve got it, you’ve got it.”
Asked if he’s ready to play Sunday, Akers was firm. And funny.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m always ready,
“Don’t got to get ready when you stay ready. I’m always ready, baby.”
New running back Cam Akers (30) begins his first practice with the Seahawks after the former Los Angeles Rams lead back and Minnesota Viking to begin the 2025 season signed with Seattle earlier in the day Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton.Kenneth Walker’s status
So where’s this leave Walker?
It leaves him games from the end of his contract, with so far still only sporadic spurts this season as Seattle’s true lead back he was the previous three years.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Yeah, with that part, honestly, I just want to be positive, and keep my mind on football and not contract and all that,” Walker said in training camp this summer. “I really just want to make a positive impact on my team and go out there and play to the best of my ability. And that’s what I’ve been wanting to do since my rookie year to now.
“So I’m gonna just keep that same mindset and not worry about everything, like contract and everything.”
Days after Macdonald said last week Walker earned more opportunities and more status as the Seahawks number-one back, he had as many carries as their wide receivers, two, deep into the first half at Tennessee. Walker had a 10-yard run around left end behind the blocks of guard Grey Zabel and tackle Charles Cross on the game’s first play — then just one other carry until midway through the second quarter. Wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed each had a rush while Walker had his two.
As he has been most of the season, Charbonnet was again Kubiak’s choice for 2-minute and red-zone situations.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the third quarter with Seattle leading Tennessee 23-10, Walker started a drive with runs of 19 yards around left end and 11 yards to the right. Then Walker took Darnold’s pass in the short flat and ran for 29 more yards. He single-handedly got Seattle to the Tennessee 15.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 23: Kenneth Walker III #9 of the Seattle Seahawks runs with the ball in the third quarter of the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on November 23, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)Then Walker exited. Charbonnet ran twice, including for a 5-yard touchdown and 30-10 Seahawks lead. Walker played 30 snaps at Tennessee, 62% of the plays. Charbonnet played 15 snaps (31%). Entering the game Charbonnet had played in 49% of Seattle’s offensive plays to Walker’s 45%. One of Walker’s biggest plays saved the Seahawks from the Titans taking a 10-0 lead. Down 3-0 early, Seattle was in Tennessee territory when Darnold threw a late, dangerous pass to Walker outside right. Titans rookie cornerback Marcus Harris was standing between Darnold and Walker, ready to intercept the pass. Walker ran from behind him, reached around and batted the pass away incomplete. There were no players between Harris and the other goal line when Walker broke up the pass.
Instead of a possible 10-0 lead early for a 1-9 team, the Seahawks got an incomplete pass, then the first of three field goals in the first half by Jason Myers. That tied the game at 3. From there, Seattle scored the game’s next 20 points to take command.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Yeah, I saw him undercut the route,” Walker said in the locker room after the game in Nashville. “So I reached up and tried to swat the ball down the best I could so he couldn’t catch it.”
The next day, Macdonald was asked to assess Walker’s game in Tennessee.
“I think he was decisive running the football on his tracks and making fast decisions, which was great. He got us out of a couple tough situations, and then I felt him in the pass game,” the head coach said. “When Sam was later on in his progressions, he found Ken late in the down, and it created a couple explosives for us — and Zach, for that matter.
“We’ve got to keep doing that by finding him in the pass game and keep the running game going. They played fast and had some great plays on the sidelines. There were some plays on the sideline that we want to play a little bit better and finish plays a little bit in a better position. But, on the right track.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSo, is the intent still for Walker to have the larger, more lead-back role Sunday against Minnesota, and beyond?
“We’ll stick to a similar plan,” Macdonald said Monday.
Then he said this: “I’ll tell you what, when Zach went in there, he made some big time runs for us. The 2-minute run that got us the first down on second and long which really ensured that we were going to end the half with the ball, which was great. We talk about the red zone all the time. That was a heck of a run that he had that scored a touchdown. He had to make the corner miss, so Zach’s playing at really high level now, as well.
Macdonald added: “Ken’s also playing at really high level.”
Kenneth Walker III (9) of the Seattle Seahawks is pushed out of bounds by Cedric Gray (33) of the Tennessee Titans in the first half of the game at Nissan Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025 in Nashville, Tenn.AdvertisementAdvertisement
