Walker excelling as a pass catcher

John Boyle of The Seahawks’ official site writes that RB Kenneth Walker has “shown off his pass-catching ability” in training camp. It’s noteworthy, as the rookie exited college with only 19 career catches in 3 seasons. Rashaad Penny is currently seeing the bulk of Seattle’s 1st-team reps, but this backfield has the potential to be fluid all season.

"The plan is for [Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker] to be out there Week 1 if all goes well," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "Walker underwent surgery to repair a hernia — not what is sometimes called a 'sports hernia' or core muscle injury — and he’s expected to make a full recovery," Rapoport adds. We'll track Walker's rehab. But, considering the rookie will miss the rest of the preseason and a bunch of practice time, he won't be a viable Week 1 fantasy option. RB Rashaad Penny's early-season fantasy stock gets a boost with the news.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Wednesday that rookie RB Kenneth Walker is having a "procedure" but that his injury is not a sports hernia, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. We'll watch for word on how long the team expects him to be out.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll said Tuesday that RB Kenneth Walker has "a little hernia thing that he’s working on." Added Carroll, "we’ve got to get through that. So I don’t know what to tell you yet, but it’s something that we can attend to and all that ... We’ve just got to make sure that he’s OK by the opener is what we’re shooting for.” Hopefully Walker doesn't need surgery, which would certainly cost him the start of the season. We'll look for updates on the rookie's status.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll complimented rookie RB Kenneth Walker. Carroll really focused on Walker’s improvement in pass protection. "He could play all three downs, and we'd feel comfortable with it,” Carroll shared. Rashaad Penny is currently batting a minor goin injury, but the veteran remains on track to start Week 1. How long that lasts, however, is certainly in question. Neither guy projects for big pass volume -- but the 3rd-down/receiving down role appears up for grabs here.

We know that RBs Ken Walker and Rashaad Penny will duke it out for early-down work in the Seahawks' backfield this season. But The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar believes passing downs will go to either DeeJay Dallas or Travis Homer. "Dallas is arguably the best pass-catching running back on the roster and Homer, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, is the best pass protector among the tailbacks," Dugar writes. It makes some sense considering neither Walker nor Penny is an accomplished pass-catcher. A 3-man committee backfield in a bad offense behind a bad offensive line sounds like a nightmare fantasy scenario.