The Seattle Seahawks will be starting their season without a key rookie on offense, as second-round draft pick Kenneth Walker has officially been ruled out for the Week 1 clash against the Denver Broncos. Walker, who underwent hernia surgery during the offseason, was considered doubtful to suit up for Monday Night Football, and the Seahawks confirmed that by including him in their list of inactive players ahead of kickoff.

 

With Walker a no-go for Monday's showdown, it'll be Rashaad Penny seeing the bulk of the workload out of the backfield for the Seahawks. Penny was sensational down the stretch for the Seahawks last season after Chris Carson went down with a neck injury.

Across the last five weeks of the season, Penny rushed the ball 92 times for a stellar 672 yards. He topped the 100-yard mark in four of those five games and scored six touchdowns during that span. Seahawks fans will be hoping to see much of the same against the Broncos on Monday with Walker sidelined.

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Walker was the 41st overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by way of Michigan State. He was the second running back taken off the board, behind Jets' second-round pick Breece Hall. Across his lone season at Michigan State, Walker scored 18 rushing touchdowns while racking up 1,636 yards on the ground. He spent his first two college seasons fighting for carries at Wake Forest before getting a real chance at Michigan State in 2021.

The Seahawks will be hoping Penny is able to suit up in Week 2 when they take on the San Francisco 49ers, but for Monday night, he'll be forced to watch from the sideline.