SEATTLE — There was good news, and then there was bad news.
The good news, of course, came Thursday when Zach Charbonnet returned to practice just eight and a half months after suffering a torn ACL.
Truly, a remarkable recovery, which opens his 21-day window to return to the lineup.
But then came the bad news.
Mike Macdonald told us that the running back who had been starting in Charbonnet’s absence, first-round pick Jadarian Price, would be out for Sunday’s showdown with the Chargers.
Price aggravated a shoulder/chest injury suffered against the Cardinals in Week 2 at practice this week.
“By no means is this JD’s (Jadarian Price’s) fault or anything like that. This is what happens in football. Unfortunately, injuries happen. He can’t control these things. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do since he got here. He’s had a great attitude. He’s been a great teammate. He has a great future. He’s going to play great football for us when he comes back, whenever that is, and we move forward. I don’t think there’s any big picture things. It’s unfortunate” said Macdonald.
That leaves Emanuel Wilson, who had a really nice game spelling Price against the Cardinals in Week 2, to handle most of the carries. George Holani will assuredly see action as well.
Whomever gets the calls, Macdonald has faith in what they can do.
“I’m excited to see these guys play. It’s unfortunate with JD. Hopefully this gives him the opportunity to get healthy. We’ve got guys that are ready to go behind him that are preparing their tails off and are good players. I feel like we have a good plan and we’ll go play a game” Macdonald said.
Wilson, for his part, had 21 carries for 92 yards in that win over Arizona; however, he has just 17 rushing yards combined in the Seahawks’ other two games.
Holani caught five passes in the loss to the Commanders, and has gotten some carries in all three Seahawks games so far.
So that’s how the Hawks will roll in this one, with the understanding that Price is likely back sooner rather than later.
And, of course, Charbonnet’s incredible recovery has him on the way back pretty soon as well.
“It’s remarkable on what he’s been able to do. Think about the journey that entails of the daily process. We’ve spoken on what we feel about Zach and what type of person he is. For how he’s taken on this rehab and gotten himself in the shape that he’s in and the strength that he has is remarkable. Our hats off to him. We respect the hell out of him. We want to do right by the process. That’s what our focus is on” Macdonald said, adding “Zach looks fantastic. There’s a process to get him physically and mentally ready to go. We understand that, and we’ll work with him and make sure he feels great when the time comes for him to come back.”