Seahawks will get Kenneth Walker III back for Sunday’s showdown with Vikings

RENTON, Wash. – The Seahawks will be fully healthy in their offensive backfield for Sunday’s critical game against the Minnesota Vikings, as quarterback Geno Smith and running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet are all expected to play.

Smith sat out the last quarter-and-a-half of Sunday’s 30-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers with a knee injury. But he was a full participant in practice all week and was not listed on the team’s game status report for this Sunday’s 1:05 p.m. kickoff against the Vikings at Lumen Field.

“Keeps getting better every day,” head coach Mike Macdonald said of Smith’s status following Friday’s practice. “Seems like he’s in great spirits, operating the offense really well …. Excited about him.”

Walker has missed the last two games with a calf injury and Charbonnet was out or limited in practice earlier this week with an oblique injury.

But both were full participants in Friday’s practice and also not given a game status designation, meaning they are good to go.

“(Walker) looked really good,” Macdonald said. “I think he’s confident, had a good week of practice. Zach, the same way. So, excited about those guys.”

Walker is Seattle’s leading rusher with 542 yards on 145 carries this season but has missed four games due to injury. Charbonnet has started all four games Walker has missed and has 454 yards on 105 carries, including TD runs of 51 and 24 yards the past two weeks.

Seattle listed only three players as out, all reserves – linebacker Trevis Gipson (ankle), tight end Brady Russell (foot) and safety K’Von Wallace (ankle). Gipson was recently injured in practice, Macdonald said, while Russell has been dealing with his foot issue for a few weeks and Wallace recently returned to practice off injured reserve and is not on the 53-man roster.

No one else was listed on the report, meaning everyone else is considered healthy and available to play.

That includes center Olu Oluwatimi, who did not play the last three quarters of the Green Bay game with a knee injury.

“Looking good, ready to go,” Macdonald said of Oluwatimi, who took over as the starting center following the bye week when Connor Williams abruptly retired.

Undrafted rookie free agent Jalen Sundell filled in for Oluwatimi for the final three quarters Sunday.

Smith met the media Thursday and said he planned to play, but noted he wouldn’t likely be 100%, while saying few players are this time of year.

Asked if Smith will be limited in any way Sunday, Macdonald said “I’m not sure. … I wouldn’t think he would tell you he’s 100%. But he’s done everything he possibly can to be ready to go and be in a good frame of mind going into the game. But I’m not sure if and how it (any limitations) will show up.”

Sam Howell, who played the final quarter-and-a-half against the Packers, will again be the backup.

Macdonald said the team could elevate Jaren Hall off the practice squad or activate him to the 53-man roster and have him be the emergency quarterback.

Hall, a fifth-round pick of the Vikings in 2023 who has been on Seattle’s practice squad all season, has one elevation remaining.

The game looms as an “all hands on deck” affair with the Seahawks’ playoff hopes having taken a severe hit with the loss to Green Bay that dropped Seattle to 8-6 and into a tie in the NFC West with the Rams, who hold the tiebreaker due to a win over the Seahawks earlier this season.

The Vikings come in at 12-2 and having won seven in a row and in a tie for the best record in the NFC, and focused on trying to move past Detroit and Philadelphia to get the top seed and a bye in the wild-card round and then home-field advantage through the rest of the playoffs.

Vikings also appear healthy

The Vikings also had a small injury report.

The Vikings listed backup cornerback Fabian Moreau (hip) backup defensive lineman Jalen Redmond (concussion) as out. However, cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, is not on the report and will play. Moreau had been helping fill in the last two games with Gilmore sidelined.

The Vikings also listed starting safety Harrison Smith (foot) and fullback C.J, Ham (ankle) as questionable.

Both Smith and Ham were listed as limited participants in practice, indicating they may have a chance to play.

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that Smith had a good day of practice and that Ham also got some work but that the team needs to see how he responds. The 35-year-old Smith, who has been named to the Pro Bowl six times, has played almost 95% of snaps for the Vikings this year, most of any offensive player.

The Vikings did not give a designation to starting right tackle Brian O’Neill, who suffered a knee injury in Monday’s win over the Bears. O’Neill sat out practice Wednesday but practiced on Thursday and Friday and is considered good to go for Sunday.

Griffin returns to Seattle

Seahawks fans will notice a familiar name on the other sideline Sunday – cornerback Shaquill Griffin.

Griffin was a third-round pick of the Seahawks in 2017 and played the next four seasons with Seattle, including earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2019, before moving on in free agency following the 2020 season.

He signed what was billed as a three-year contract worth up to $40 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the spring of 2021.

But a back injury that limited him to five games in 2022 led to his release following the season. Via OvertheCap.com, he earned just over $26 million for the 19 games he played with Jacksonville in 2021-22.

Griffin spent last year with Houston and Carolina before signing a one-year contract worth up to $4.55 million with the Vikings.

The deal garnered some controversy as it could cancel out a potential third-round compensatory pick Minnesota could have received for Houston signing away defensive end Danielle Hunter.

But Griffin has done his part, having been a regular in the team’s cornerback rotation all season, playing roughly 52% of the snaps for the season and having played more of late with Gilmore out.

He also had an interception in the final minute to close out a 23-22 win over Arizona on Dec. 1 and has two interceptions and 33 tackles on the season, listed as having two starts and playing in all 14 games.

This will be Griffin’s second time back to Seattle since his departure as he was with the Jaguars when the Seahawks beat Jacksonville at Lumen Field 31-7 in 2021.

While Griffin’s career continues, his twin brother, Shaquem, has not played since his last year with the Seahawks in 2020.

Shaquem Griffin spent the 2021 season on the practice squad with the Miami Dolphins, then announced his retirement in 2022. Griffin’s post-football career includes working as a motivational speaker.