Seahawks fan fest: Kenneth Walker rests ‘soreness'; Ernest Jones mourns; more Tory Horton

Yahoo

6 days ago

Kenneth Walker's health is a subject again.
Not an issue. But a subject.
Walker is the Seahawks' lead running back. He is vital to the Seahawks' new offensive coordinator's promise and directive this season of running the ball 'first and foremost,' as new quarterback Sam Darnold keeps saying. Darnold's fortunes, those of new play caller Klint Kubiak — heck, Seattle's season — will largely go as Walker goes.
If he is not available for any time, for any reason, you can hear the angst from fans across the Pacific Northwest.
Walker missed training-camp practice Friday. He was not available Saturday evening. Zach Charbonnet was the lead back instead when the Seahawks had their annual fan-fest practice in front of a couple thousand fans at Lumen Field. It was Charbonnet, not Walker, who caught a swing pass from Darnold on the first play of 11-on-11 scrimmaging in the stadium.
'It's just a little soreness with his foot right now. But he's fine,' coach Mike Macdonald said Saturday night following the 10th practice of camp.
'We're just taking care of him right now throughout camp.'
Walker, 24, missed six of 17 games last season. The ankle injury he got in December put him on injured reserve and ended his third NFL season. Coaches kept him out of 11-on-11 work during offseason practices this spring. That made it noteworthy he was full go when this training camp began, and for the first practice in full pads to begin this week.
And it's noteworthy when he's sidelined.
This is a team that lost Chris Carson in his prime with a neck injury in 2022. This is a team that in 2017 went through 16 different running backs carrying the ball because of injuries. This is a team that had legend Marshawn Lynch re-join them out of 14 months of semi-retirement, on Christmas Eve 2019, because so many other running backs had gotten hurt that season.
The groans you are hearing about Walker's foot soreness stems from the fact he's yet to play a full season since Seattle drafted him in the second round in 2022 out of Michigan State.
And from the fact he plays the most injured position in the sports, the one with the shortest career span.
Yet before this foot soreness, Walker said this on Wednesday: 'I feel good. You know, it's good to come out here, be able to play with my brothers and grow throughout training camp and everything with them. It's been cool.'
'I've been changing my routine up, how I eat and sleep. And I definitely feel it in my performance, so I'm going to just keep it up and go into it with the season.'
That was when he was participating in almost all the drills with running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu. Thursday when the coach was yanking at a cord attached to the ball as Walker jogged with the ball tightly under his arm.
He hasn't practiced since then.
This is his contract year. He is playing for what he will play and how much he will earn in 2026, and beyond.
He said Wednesday general manager John Schneider and the Seahawks had not talked to him or his agent about a new contract.
The team likely wants to see him in Kubiak's new offense, and him get through the season relatively healthy, before making that decision.
'With that part, honestly, I just want to be positive and keep my mind on football and not a contract and all that,' Walker said. 'I just want to make a positive impact on my team and go out there and play it to the best of my ability, and that's what I've been wanting to do since my rookie year to now.
'I'm going to just keep that same mindset and not worry about everything.'
Ernest Jones mourning
Middle linebacker Ernest Jones was back practicing for the second consecutive day.
Saturday morning Jones IV posted on social media he remains in mourning over his father passing away.
'Give me some time, man... I'm hurting,' his son wrote on X/Twitter.
Macdonald, whose father is in need of a kidney transplant, said he's talked this week to Jones about his loss.
'I can't imagine going through that,' Macdonald said.
'That's why it's so important for us...to have support (in the team facility) for guys when they need it, because our guys need to be helped. Obviously, EJ (Ernest Jones IV) needs it now. We've got 90 guys on the roster. They're all dealing with stuff. It's hard to imagine. You're trying to be empathetic with him and again, be as supportive as we possibly can.' Jones left the team to be with his family at their home in Georgia following his dad's death.
'He's a beast. The guy is an alpha,' Macdonald said of his middle linebacker the team traded for during last season and re-signed this spring. 'He's probably our top leader on defense.
'But it's a tough time. It's really hard, and his family needs him, they're really far away. That's a tough balance right now, so it's going to be a process over the next however long. One of these things never goes away. It's this new reality which is unfortunate.'
Tory Horton keeps rising
Rookie fifth-round draft choice Tory Horton continued his rise from demoralizing knee surgery 10 months ago at Colorado State to the Seahawks starting offense.
On the fourth play of the first scrimmage period Saturday night he caught a pass at the sideline from Darnold. Darnold threw to him again on the next play, but well wide of Horton to end the series.
Later, Horton made another of his deft toe taps inside the sideline while catching a pass from Darnold that otherwise would have been incomplete out of bounds.
'A wise man, Steve Smith Sr. (2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist) once said 'Rookies need to make a play a day to make a name for themselves.' And he's doing that,' Macdonald said of Horton. 'He's making multiple plays every day.'
Horton has for now passed veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Jake Bobo on the depth chart. For the second consecutive practice, Valdes-Scantling ran primarily with Drew Lock and the second offense while Horton was with Darnold and the ones.
Darnold has been throwing to Horton in scrimmages for more than you'd expect a rookie to see the ball when Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are also running routes on plays.
'He has shown a lot of great things so far in training camp,' Darnold said of Horton. 'His curiosity and the questions that he asks with the receivers, and to us as quarterbacks (show) he's hungry to learn the game, learn the system.'
No starters in preseason opener
Macdonald stated what was becoming obvious: Seahawks starters will not play Thursday in the first preseason game when Pete Carroll's and Geno Smith's Las Vega Raiders come to Lumen Field.
Seattle's current coach had an opinion of how the fans and city should greet the Seahawks' former coach and traded quarterback.
'Look, we should be cheering Pete when he gets here. We should be cheering Geno,' Macdonald said. 'How could we not?'
Jalen Milroe running
Each day in scrimmages, Kubiak calls designed runs for rookie third-string quarterback Jalen Milroe. Saturday night, Milroe took off around end four times for bulldozing-like gains before a defender approached him outside.
The offensive coordinator appears to be test the edge containment of Seattle's defensive ends — and perhaps a package of plays for Milroe in each game plan during the regular season.
Don't be surprised to see the third-round pick from Alabama running a few, select plays with a running component during the regular season.
Extra points
*Another day, another sterling play from rookie safety Nick Emmanwori. He was step for step, shoulder to shoulder with fellow rookie second-round pick and tight end Elijah Arroyo on a short out route during Macdonald's one-on-one 'competition' period of practice. Emmanwori knocked away Lock's accurate pass. Then Emmanwori turned to the cheering fans. He gave them a wipe-out signal with his hands, and pantomimed putting a sword back in its sheath after a conquest.
Third-year reserve safety went down injured defending a long pass in the end zone during a scrimmage late in practice. He got carted off the field. Macdonald said the fear is a serious knee injury, pending further tests.
*Macdonald had the first-team offense simulate a possession in overtime late in practice. Darnold drove his unit down the field with completions to a Jason Myers 'winning' field goal.
*The Seahawks have a players day off from practice Sunday, the one day off per week mandated by the NFL collective bargaining agreement. They will return to practicing on Monday.