Zach Charbonnet Cleared for Season Debut Against Bears

Zach Charbonnet is cleared to make his season debut against the Chicago Bears on Monday after recovering from the torn ACL that ended his previous postseason. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald confirmed Saturday that the running back will play, and Charbonnet has no game-status designation for the matchup.

Seattle’s injury reporting showed Charbonnet participating fully Thursday before he was limited Friday. Saturday’s final game-status announcement left him without an injury designation. The clearance establishes his availability after a lengthy rehabilitation, while the team has not announced a specific number of carries or a guaranteed share of offensive snaps.

The Seahawks had already activated Charbonnet from the physically unable to perform list October 22, placing him on the 53-man roster. That earlier move followed his October 1 return to practice and the end of his 21-day window. Activation at that point did not itself guarantee an immediate game appearance.

Charbonnet injured his knee in the divisional round of the playoffs. Macdonald said Seattle has a plan for his return, separating the confirmation that he can play from any public commitment about how the backfield workload will be distributed against Chicago.

He ran for 730 yards and 12 touchdowns on 184 carries in 2025, setting career highs in attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. He also caught 20 passes for 144 yards. The 12 rushing scores made him Seattle’s first player with double-digit rushing touchdowns in a season since 2014.

Charbonnet entered the NFL as Seattle’s second-round selection in 2023, 52nd overall. Across his first three regular seasons, he recorded 1,761 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns, plus 95 catches for 693 yards. His return brings that experience back to the active offense after he missed the opening portion of the 2026 schedule. His 2024 season produced 569 rushing yards and 42 receptions.