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Charbonnet is the kind of running back analysts love to call “old school”: a 6-foot-1, 220-pound power runner who finishes falling forward, moves piles and carries the tough yards. He started his college career as a Michigan freshman workhorse, rebuilt his game at UCLA, then arrived in Seattle as a second-round pick behind Kenneth Walker III. In 2025 he had the best season of his career for a Super Bowl champion team, and then he tore his ACL in the playoffs. Now, as of late October 2026, he is on the verge of finally making his season debut.

So if you ended up here searching for Zach Charbonnet stats, Zach Charbonnet age, height, college career, injury news, contract, family or net worth, you are in the right place. It is all here, and there is an attempt to explain how he built this career, not just list numbers at you. Where reliable public information does not exist (family, relationships, net worth), the article says so plainly instead of repeating the guesses that float around the internet.

Zach Charbonnet Stats & Profile

Attribute	Detail
Full Name	Zachariah Charbonnet
Nickname	Charbs
Date of Birth	8 January 2001
Age	25 years (as of October 2026)
Birthplace	Bellflower, California, USA (grew up in Camarillo, California)
Height	6 ft 1 in
Weight	220 lbs
Zodiac Sign	Capricorn
Position	Running back
Current Team	Seattle Seahawks
Jersey Number	26 (Seahawks); 24 (Michigan)
High School	Oaks Christian School, Westlake Village, California
College	Michigan (2019 to 2020); UCLA (2021 to 2022)
NFL Draft	2023, Round 2, Pick 52 overall (Seattle Seahawks)
Contract	Four years, $6.88 million (signed July 2023)
Current Status (Oct 2026)	Recovering from torn ACL; on the PUP list with a good chance to make his season debut in Week 7

Early Life & Background

Charbonnet was born on 8 January 2001 and grew up in Camarillo, California, a city in Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles. Here is the detail that trips people up when they read about his childhood: he did not start playing football until the seventh grade. Most players who end up in the NFL have been in organized football since they were small children. Charbonnet started comparatively late, and that makes the speed of his rise stand out.

By the time he reached Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, a school well known for producing elite athletes, he was one of the best running back prospects in the country. Recruiting services ranked him as a four-star recruit, and depending on the service he was listed somewhere between the third- and sixth-best running back in his class. He was invited to the 2019 Under Armour All-American Game, one of the main showcases for the top high school seniors in the United States.

He committed to the University of Michigan in June 2018, before his senior season even began. That gave him the rare luxury of finishing high school without recruiting pressure. But the very start of his college career came with a setback. Shortly after he enrolled in January 2019, he needed knee surgery, which cost him spring practice. It was an early sign that his career would involve more than one long recovery.

Zach Charbonnet Family Background

Charbonnet keeps his family life very private. There is no reliable, verified public information about his parents or siblings, and several websites that claim to list his family members contain clearly wrong or invented details. Some of them even attach famous names to him without any supporting evidence. It is best to ignore those pages.

The same applies to his relationship status. He has not made any confirmed public announcement, and anything you read on gossip sites should be treated as speculation. That is not unusual for an NFL player at this stage of his career, especially one who has spent most of his professional life as a backup. What is publicly documented is how the people around him describe him: Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald has called him “great teammate, great human being” and “unselfish,” which says a lot about the reputation he has built inside the locker room.

How His Career Actually Unfolded

Phase	Years	Notes
High School	Until 2018	Four-star recruit at Oaks Christian; started football only in 7th grade
Michigan	2019 to 2020	Started the 2019 opener as a true freshman; set Michigan’s freshman record with 11 rushing touchdowns
UCLA	2021 to 2022	Became a complete back in Chip Kelly’s offense; 1,100+ rushing yards in both seasons
NFL Draft	April 2023	Seattle took him 52nd overall
Rookie Year	2023	Backup role: 108 carries, 462 yards
Growth Year	2024	135 carries, 569 yards, 8 touchdowns
Breakout Season	2025	Career highs: 730 yards, 12 touchdowns; Super Bowl champion
Injury	January 2026	Torn ACL in the Divisional Round vs. the 49ers
Rehab & Return	2026	Started the year on PUP; closing in on his debut

College Part One: Michigan (2019 to 2020)

Charbonnet’s college debut was not a typical freshman debut. In Michigan’s 2019 season opener he started at running back and carried the ball eight times for 90 yards, adding a nine-yard catch, for 99 all-purpose yards. By starting that game he became the first Michigan true freshman to start at tailback in a season opener since Sam McGuffie in 2008, and only the fourth since 1944. That puts him in a very short list of names in a program with more than a century of football history.

He kept producing. His career highs at Michigan include 33 carries against Army (a game in which he also scored three touchdowns), 125 rushing yards at Illinois and a 70-yard run at Minnesota in 2020. In 2019 he was named the team’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, earned All-Big Ten recognition (third team by the media, honorable mention by the coaches) and set a Michigan record for the most rushing touchdowns by a freshman, with 11. In 2020 he earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, a reminder that football was not the only thing he was balancing.

Across two seasons at Michigan he ran for 850 yards and 12 touchdowns. That was solid, but the passing game was a different story: he caught only 14 passes for 71 yards. Scouts began to wonder whether he was a pure between-the-tackles runner or whether he could be an all-purpose back. Michigan also had a talented running back, Hassan Haskins, on the same roster, and the workload was shared.

College Part Two: The UCLA Transfer (2021 to 2022)

On 30 January 2021, Charbonnet announced his intention to transfer to UCLA. It turned out to be the decision that changed his career. In head coach Chip Kelly’s offense he was used heavily in both the run game and the pass game, and he answered every question that had been asked about him at Michigan. He put up more than 1,100 rushing yards and around 190 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons.

One game stands out from the 2021 season. With fellow running back Brown injured during UCLA’s game against USC, Charbonnet had season highs of 28 carries and 167 rushing yards, and he passed 1,000 yards on the ground for the year in that game. On 14 January 2022 he announced he would return to UCLA for another season rather than leave early for the draft, a decision that gave him another full year of production and raised his stock.

His analytics profile from the draft process shows why NFL teams liked him. He ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash, which is respectable for a back of his size, and his college yards per carry average of 7.0 ranked in the 92nd percentile among running back prospects. His college target share was 14.5%, in the 93rd percentile, which backs up the idea that he became a real receiving option at UCLA. Based on his athletic profile and production, one comparison that data models pointed to was DeMarco Murray, another big, physical back who could also contribute as a receiver.

The 2023 NFL Draft

Seattle selected Charbonnet in the second round, with the 52nd overall pick (2.21 in the round). The decision surprised some fantasy football analysts, because Seattle already had Kenneth Walker III, a productive young starter, and many experts thought the team had bigger needs elsewhere. But the Seahawks saw a different kind of back: a bigger, more physical runner who could share the workload and take the pounding between the tackles. In July 2023 he signed a four-year, $6.88 million contract.

Scouting reports at the time were consistent. The positives: he had experience on three of the four special teams units, only one career fumble, powerful running that shrugged off arm and shoulder tackles, good vision, active footwork with jump stops to redirect, excellent contact balance and the ability to move the pile. The concerns: he lacked natural hands and a developed route tree, and some scouts questioned how much burst he showed. One report summarized him as an early-down power back who succeeds on vision and contact balance.

The Seattle Years

Charbonnet was drafted into a backfield that already had a star, so for most of his career he has been the second half of a one-two punch: Walker as the explosive runner, Charbonnet as the physical one who finishes drives and scores around the goal line. His production rose every year. In 2023 he was a rotational rookie. In 2024 his role grew, and he scored eight touchdowns. 2025 he led the Seahawks in rushing touchdowns and finished second on the team in rushing yards, behind Walker.

Along the way he built a reputation as exactly the kind of player coaches like to have: tough, detail-oriented and unselfish. Before the 2025 season, one analysis noted that in his career he had gone over his rushing-yards prop in nine of the ten games in which he had double-digit carries, which shows how reliable his production was whenever he got a real workload.

Zach Charbonnet Stats: NFL Career

Before getting into the numbers, it is worth saying that Charbonnet’s stats read better once you know the context. He has never been the lead back in Seattle. His value has shown up most in the red zone and in short-yardage situations, where touchdowns and first downs matter more than raw yardage.

Rushing

Season	Team	Games	Carries	Yards	Average	TDs
2023	Seattle	16	108	462	4.3	1
2024	Seattle	17	135	569	4.2	8
2025	Seattle	16	184	730	4.0	12
Career (2023 to 2025)		49	427	1,761	4.1	21

Receiving

Season	Receptions	Yards	Average
2023	33	209	6.3
2024	42	340	8.1
2025	20	144	7.2
Career (2023 to 2025)	95	693	7.3

Add it up and Charbonnet has 1,761 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns on 427 carries across three seasons, plus 95 catches for 693 yards. Those numbers are modest next to the league’s top backs, but the trend line is the story. His carries went from 108 to 135 to 184, and his rushing touchdowns went from one to eight to twelve. His 2024 receiving role was bigger than his 2025 role, because in 2025 the Seahawks leaned on him more as a runner.

Through the end of 2025 he had logged 1,473 NFL snaps, which is part of why his projection is considered straightforward: there is plenty of tape on what he is. One analysis noted that as long as he is only a passing-down player, it is hard to establish mainstream fantasy value, but that his 214-pound frame and college production suggest he would be busy if the starter were to miss time.

The 2025 Season, Game by Game

Week	Opponent	Result	Carries	Yards	TD	Receiving
1	vs. 49ers	L 13-17	12	47	1	none
2	at Steelers	W 31-17	15	10	0	none
3	vs. Saints	W 44-13	no carries recorded
4	at Cardinals	W 23-20	12	39	1	2 for 5
5	vs. Buccaneers	L 35-38	9	36	1	1 for 12
6	at Jaguars	W 20-12	12	24	0	1 for 13
7	vs. Texans	W 27-19	12	49	2	2 for 6
9	at Commanders	W 38-14	8	25	0	1 for 21
10	vs. Cardinals	W 44-22	14	83	1	none
11	at Rams	L 19-21	11	37	0	2 for 10
12	at Titans	W 30-24	6	35	1	none
13	vs. Vikings	W 26-0	14	52	1	none
14	at Falcons	W 37-9	7	46	0	2 for 20
15	vs. Colts	W 18-16	8	31	0	none
16	vs. Rams	W 38-37	9	32	1	4 for 22
17	at Panthers	W 27-10	18	110	2	2 for 12
18	at 49ers	W 13-3	17	74	1	3 for 23

The table tells a clear story of a season in two halves. In the first seven games he ran 72 times for 205 yards, an average of about 2.8 yards per carry, though he still scored five touchdowns in that stretch. From Week 9 onward he ran 112 times for 525 yards, an average of about 4.7 yards per carry, and scored seven more touchdowns. His best day came in Week 17 at Carolina: 18 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns, the only 100-yard game on the list. The numbers add up to his season totals of 184 carries, 730 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The ACL Injury & 2026 Recovery

On 17 January 2026, the Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 41-6 in the NFC Divisional Round at Lumen Field. Seattle dominated on the ground, rushing for 175 yards at 5.3 yards per carry, with Walker running for 116 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. But Charbonnet left the game in the first half after five carries for 20 yards, and what looked like a routine day became the biggest setback of his career.

Head coach Mike Macdonald described it as a “significant knee injury” and said it would need surgery, calling it a long road back. He added: “This guy is the epitome of what it means to be a Seahawk. Absolute tough as nails, great teammate, great human being. Plays his tail off, detail-oriented, unselfish.” He also made a promise: “He’s gonna be back.” The injury was a torn ACL in his left knee, and he was placed on injured reserve and ruled out for the rest of the postseason. Seattle went on to win Super Bowl LX, and Walker was named MVP.

The Recovery Timeline

Date	Development
17 Jan 2026	Tears left ACL in the Divisional Round win over the 49ers
Feb 2026	Undergoes surgery to repair the ACL, nearly five weeks after the injury; the delay pushed his recovery further into the 2026 season. Seahawks GM John Schneider said the “surgery went very well”
March 2026	Walker leaves in free agency and signs with the Chiefs
April 2026	Seattle drafts running back Jadarian Price 32nd overall in the first round
June 2026	Reports suggest a more realistic midseason return; Macdonald says “he’s not going to miss the whole year”
July 2026	Placed on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list before training camp
Sept 2026	Macdonald says he is on an “aggressive” timetable and looks “dang good”
1 Oct 2026	Seattle opens his practice window and designates him to return to practice
Week 5	Stays on PUP; Seattle loses to the 49ers 32-29
Week 6	Stays on PUP for one more week; Seattle loses to the Broncos
Week 7 (25 Oct)	“Good chance” to play against the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football

How the PUP List Works

Because Charbonnet started the year on the reserve/PUP list, he was required to miss at least the first four games. Under the newer rules, a player on the list can start practicing earlier than before. Once a team opens the practice window, it has 21 days to either activate the player to the 53-man roster or leave him on the list for the rest of the season. Seattle opened Charbonnet’s window in the first days of October, so the deadline falls on Thursday, 22 October, just three days before the Week 7 game against Kansas City.

That is why this week matters so much. If Seattle does not activate him by the deadline, he is out for the year. Macdonald has made clear that the plan is to bring him back: he said Charbonnet would have a “full week’s worth of reps” in practice and that “there is a possibility that you can see him on Sunday in some capacity.” Reports from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and others say there is a “legitimate chance” he plays against the Chiefs. Even after activation, nothing is guaranteed, because the team has taken a careful approach with him all along.

Why Seattle Needs Him Now

The timing of his return could hardly be better for the Seahawks. After a very good 2025 season, the 2026 team has been inconsistent on offense. Walker, who left in free agency, is now with the undefeated Chiefs and is the NFL’s current rushing leader, so Sunday night’s game carries an obvious storyline. Seattle also reportedly tried to add running backs during the offseason: it lost out on Tyler Allgeier and Rico Dowdle, and a report said the team would not sign veteran Joe Mixon after a physical.

Meanwhile, first-round rookie Jadarian Price has dealt with injury and fumble issues. He re-aggravated an injury in September, and he is now on injured reserve with a chest injury, with a return expected in Week 8 against the Chicago Bears. In the meantime Seattle has relied on Emanuel Wilson and George Holani, and Holani lost a key fumble in the Week 5 loss to San Francisco. Reports say that once Charbonnet returns, he should eventually become the preferred back in the backfield. Seattle’s offense has also struggled to run the ball consistently, and a power runner who is excellent in the red zone is exactly what the team is missing.

Zach Charbonnet Net Worth

There is no reliable public figure for Charbonnet’s net worth, and websites that publish exact numbers are guessing. Neither the player nor the team publishes this information. What is documented is his rookie contract: a four-year, $6.88 million deal signed in July 2023. Rookie contracts for second-round picks follow a predictable salary scale, so the contract is the most reliable basis for estimating his earnings so far. Any endorsement income has not been publicly detailed.

Because the contract runs for four years from 2023, 2026 is the final season. That makes the rest of this year a crucial audition for his next deal. A healthy return, a strong second half and a productive playoff run would put him in a good position when free agency arrives in 2027. A slow recovery or a limited role would complicate things. That context explains why every practice report this month has drawn so much attention.

Awards and Recognition

Honour	Year	Detail
Under Armour All-American Game invitee	2019	High school recognition
Michigan Offensive Rookie of the Year	2019	Team award
All-Big Ten (third team, media; honorable mention, coaches)	2019	Freshman season
Michigan freshman touchdown record	2019	11 rushing touchdowns, a program record for a freshman
Academic All-Big Ten	2020	Michigan
Super Bowl LX champion	2026	Member of the Seahawks roster

Playing Style: What Makes Charbonnet Different

It is worth stopping to explain what makes him effective, since raw numbers alone do not tell the full story. Charbonnet is not the fastest back in the league, and nobody is putting him next to a breakaway threat for pure speed. What he has is power, patience and a very good feel for contact.

Contact balance and leg drive. Scouts consistently pointed to his ability to absorb arm tackles and keep his feet. He gets low in traffic and keeps his legs moving, which lets him fall forward for extra yards at the end of runs. That is exactly the skill that matters in short-yardage and goal-line situations, and it is why he has scored so many touchdowns relative to his carries.

Vision and footwork. He has the vision to find the right gap and the footwork to cut a run outside when the play needs it. His active feet, with jump stops that let him redirect when running through a crowd, are unusual for a back of his size.

Receiving growth. At Michigan he barely caught the ball. At UCLA he became a real weapon, and in the NFL he has caught 95 passes in three seasons. His hands and route tree are still developing, but he is not a liability in the passing game.

Complement to a faster runner. At 220 pounds, he is the ideal partner for a more explosive back. When Seattle had Walker, the combination gave defenses two completely different looks. With Walker gone, the question this season is whether Charbonnet can become the lead back or whether the Seahawks need a committee. That is also a bigger test for his durability, especially coming off an ACL tear.

What to Watch for the Rest of 2026

1. The activation decision (22 October). The first and most important step is for Seattle to move him from the PUP list to the active roster.
2. His snap count in Week 7. Even if he plays against the Chiefs, expect a limited workload at first. The team may use him on short-yardage and goal-line plays before expanding his role.
3. Price’s return in Week 8. When the rookie comes back, the backfield will have both a first-round pick and a power veteran, and how the team splits the work will reveal its plans.
4. Efficiency and touchdowns. His average per carry was lower in the first half of 2025 and much higher after that. If he returns to the second-half version of himself, he could be a major factor in Seattle’s push for another playoff run.
5. The contract question. His rookie deal expires after this season, so every carry from here on affects his market value in 2027.

Zach Charbonnet’s Legacy So Far

Step back and his career so far is a story of resilience. A late starter in football who did not play until seventh grade. A knee surgery before his first college practice. A transfer that revived his stock and turned a two-down runner into a complete back. A second-round pick who waited behind a star and then grew into a bigger role every year. A championship season that ended with a torn ACL at the worst possible moment, followed by months of rehab on the sidelines.

If he comes back close to his 2025 form, he will go into free agency in 2027 with a strong case. Whatever happens next, his reputation inside the Seahawks building is already clear. When his own head coach says he is “the epitome of what it means to be a Seahawk,” that carries real weight. The next chapter, starting as soon as this Sunday night, will decide whether his story is remembered as that of a supporting player who got hurt at the wrong time or of a power back who came back to lead a backfield.

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Source: NFL