Seahawks Put Kenny McIntosh on the PUP List After Torn ACL, Backfield Depth Just Got Thinner
Kenny McIntosh is starting the 2026 season on the sideline. The Seattle Seahawks placed the running back on the physically unable to perform list after he suffered a torn ACL. The move was announced Monday, and it changes Seattle’s running back depth chart heading into camp.
McIntosh was expected to be a key part of the Seahawks’ backfield rotation this year. He’s been a change-of-pace back and passing-down option who complements Kenneth Walker III and gives Mike Macdonald’s offense more versatility. Now he’s out for the beginning of the season with a serious knee injury.
The Timing Hurts
Training camp starts in about a week. The PUP list is where players start when they can’t participate right away. Once camp begins, players on PUP have to sit out until at least Week 6. That means Seattle is looking at losing McIntosh for the first month and a half of the season at minimum.
ACLs also don’t usually heal on that timeline. A full recovery from a torn ACL is typically 9 to 12 months. Depending on when McIntosh’s injury happened, he might miss the entire year.
Kenneth Walker III Is the Bell Cow Now
Walker III was already Seattle’s primary running back. Now he’s the whole show. The 2022 second-round pick has run for over 1,000 yards in each of his three NFL seasons when healthy. Health is the caveat. Walker has dealt with nagging injuries every year of his career.
Behind Walker, the Seahawks are looking at Zach Charbonnet as the primary backup and potential change-of-pace back. Charbonnet is a bigger back with pass-catching ability. He’ll get more carries with McIntosh out.
What Seattle Might Do
The Seahawks have options. They could sign a veteran free agent as a body for camp. Names like Ezekiel Elliott, Nick Chubb, or Cam Akers are floating around the veteran market. None of them are dynamic anymore, but any of them could give Seattle a functional third back.
They could also lean on the draft. Seattle used late-round picks on multiple backs this year. Camp will show whether any of them can push for a rotation spot.
The other option is do nothing. Trust Walker and Charbonnet, and hope neither of them gets hurt. That’s a risky plan in a physical division where the Rams, 49ers, and Cardinals all play hard-nosed defense.
The Bigger Picture for the Offense
Seattle is trying to build an offense that can score against the top defenses in the NFC. Sam Darnold at quarterback. DK Metcalf as the primary receiver. Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the running mate. The offense has real pieces. It just doesn’t have a running game it can rely on when the quarterback needs help.
McIntosh being out for weeks or months means the ground game gets simpler. Defenses can key on Walker. That reduces the effectiveness of play action, which was supposed to be a big part of Klint Kubiak’s offensive attack.
The Seahawks are still Wild Card contenders. But this injury reveals how thin the margins are. One torn ACL turns a strength into a question mark. That’s the NFL.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
