Kenneth Walker is one of the most electrifying running backs in the NFL. In spite of his talent, he had his worst season in 2024, posting career lows in yards, touchdowns, yards per carry, and games played. This has led to the public being divided on Walker, despite all signs pointing towards a huge season for him in 2025.
Walker posted only 573 rushing yards at 3.7 yards per carry. These are bad numbers. He also missed six games and played limited snaps in four others. Fans watch him play and see him make plays like these:
They question how Walker could ever post such bad numbers.
Well, a big part of Walker’s struggles came at the hands of the Seahawks’ terrible offensive line in 2024. Pro Football Network rated Seattle’s line 31st out of 32 last year. A lot of this had to do with the line being incredibly injured last year, with Charles Cross being the only starter to play all 17 games.
The Seahawks’ offensive line finished 29th in yards before contact with 0.66 and 28th in run block win rate. It is difficult to be a successful runner behind a poor offensive line. This was only magnified, as Ryan Grubb (Seattle’s offensive coordinator in 2024) ran a gap run scheme, with a line that could not open up holes. This led to run plays with nowhere to go, and Walker left to try to make defenders miss in the backfield. It’s almost impossible to put up efficient numbers when running to holes that are not there.
There is also the injury problem…
Walker has already missed practice time due to foot soreness this training camp. Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald said, “We have a plan for Ken, and we’re sticking to the plan.” This plan includes Walker alternating practice days in an attempt to keep him healthy for the full 17-game season. While certainly strange for a 24-year-old running back, it makes sense given his injury history. Only time will tell if Walker can stay healthy, but if he cannot, it won’t be for a lack of trying from the coaching staff.
Seattle’s Offensive Line was clearly an issue in 2024. GM John Scheinder addressed this in the first round of the draft and took a stud in Grey Zabel. The dude is a mauler and will be a perfect fit in Klint Kubiak’s Scheme. He won’t just be an upgrade from last year, as almost anyone would be, but he should be an immediate plus player. Zabel getting to the second level will create explosives in this run game, and that was not possible in 2024.
Beyond the addition of Zabel, Right Tackle Abe Lucas missed 10 games in 2024 with a knee injury. This offseason, he has gotten healthy and is a full go heading into the 2025 season. When healthy, Lucas has been a solid tackle, and his health will be important to the Seahawks’ offensive line.
Beyond additions and players returning to health, this offensive line should see a boost under a new scheme with Kubiak. His offensive line for the Saints in 2024 ranked 22nd despite losing four starters to injury. Most other teams would be a lost cause on the line if this were the case, with a prime example of this being Seattle in 2024. Before these injuries, the New Orleans offensive line was arguably the best in the league. His zone run scheme is truly dominant, mirroring the zone schemes of Kyle Shanahan.
The Seahawks offense was not poor in 2024 under their previous offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb. Despite this, the Seahawks moved on to a more “complementary” offense to pair with their elite defense.
This led to Seattle bringing in Kubiak, a Shanahan disciple, who focuses on running the ball and play action. This style will rely on their elite running back. Everything is pointing towards this offense running through Walker, between their decision to switch coordinators and what the coaches are saying about it.
When looking at previous offenses, Kubiak has produced elite running back seasons. Under him, Alvin Kamara posted a career high in rushing yards, despite missing three games to injury and playing behind a decimated offensive line. Last season, Kamara averaged 21.1 touches per game and 19 fantasy points per game. These touches came in the form of 16 carries per game and five targets per game. That is elite usage. Kubiak’s last offensive coordinator stint came in 2021, where his star running back Dalvin Cook averaged 21.8 touches per game and 15.9 fantasy points per game. Once again, elite usage leading to good production. In 2025, it is Walker’s turn.
Beyond strictly touches, Kubiak’s scheme favors Walker’s strengths. His run scheme consists of zone blocking rather than gap blocking. Walker was dominant in a zone scheme in college at Michigan State. Kubiak also loves to design screens for his running backs to get them into open space to make plays. He will find space for Walker, which can only be a positive.
Walker is an extreme outlier in the statistic of tackles avoided per carry vs yards after contact per carry (as shown below). Both of these statistics also correlate strongly with explosive play rate. Walker rates low in explosives, but that was not for a lack of talent. He ran into countless defenders behind the line of scrimmage due to poor offensive line play, and run gaps simply not being open. While he could avoid many tackles, eventually he would be overwhelmed, leading to limited yards after contact and explosive runs.
With an improved offensive line and run scheme, Walker should be seeing fewer tacklers in the backfield. When he is avoiding tackles to get to the second level or even at the second level, he should regress towards the mean and see more yards after contact and more explosive plays. More explosives will lead to more touchdowns and yards, great things for Walker owners in Fantasy.
Walker is one of my favorite players to watch in the whole NFL. Stats simply do not tell the whole story with him. Watch him play, and he is clearly not the player the stats tell you he is.
The only concern I have is the injuries with Walker, and him already heading into the season does not bode well. It is definitely something to monitor, but as far as fantasy goes, draft Zach Charbonnet to handcuff him, and most of the risk goes away. He is more than an adequate replacement for Walker and gives serious value when Walker is out. When both are healthy, Walker is the bell cow. This is no committee.
Walker’s talent is recognized by the coaches. The whole offensive shift has made Walker the new focus of the offense. Every addition this offseason, including Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp, only works if Walker can be as good as I think he can be. This will open up the play action, where both Darnold and Kupp thrive. Kupp is also an elite blocking receiver and will make blocks on the second level to generate huge explosives.
Draft Walker to be your league winner in 2025, or be left in the dust.
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