Seahawks RB Charbonnet unlikely to return vs Broncos

SEATTLE – Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said running back Zach Charbonnet is unlikely to make his season debut in Thursday night’s game against the Denver Broncos.

“The plan right now isn’t for him to play,” Macdonald said after Seattle’s 32-29 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. “That could change, but as of right now, he’s not gonna play.”

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Charbonnet returned to practice on Oct. 1 for the first time since undergoing February surgery to repair a torn ACL. He has been a limited participant in all five practices since then. He was eligible to be activated off the physically unable to perform list for Sunday’s NFC West showdown against the 49ers, but Macdonald ruled him out early last week.

The Seahawks have until Oct. 22 to place Charbonnet on their 53-man roster, or else he must remain on the PUP list for the rest of the season. After facing Denver on Thursday night, Seattle’s next game is against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 25.

With Charbonnet out and rookie first-round draft pick Jadarian Price on injured reserve with a chest injury, Emanuel Wilson and George Holani have manned the Seahawks’ backfield the past two weeks.

Wilson and Holani both had costly lost fumbles in the second quarter on Sunday. Wilson’s lost fumble was immediately followed by an 11-yard touchdown run by 49ers star Christian McCaffrey, while Holani’s lost fumble was recovered in the end zone by San Francisco’s Gracen Halton for a TD with five seconds left in the half.

Wilson finished with 61 yards and a TD on 20 carries. Holani had 7 yards on four carries.

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