Zach Charbonnet Day with Kenneth Walker officially out. Another Seahawks starter inactive

Zach Charbonnet, come on down.

The Seahawks welcomed the second-year running back into their lead-rusher role for their game Sunday at New England. That was after the team made injured Kenneth Walker inactive for the first road game of Seattle’s season.

Walker did not practice all week. He’d been doubtful to play because of the oblique injury he got late in the opening-game win over Denver the previous weekend. Walker rushed for 103 yards, his seventh-career 100-yard rushing day, before he left the game in the fourth quarter.

Charbonnet closed out Seattle’s 26-20 win replacing Walker. The second-round draft choice from UCLA in 2023 made his third career start Sunday. His other two were last November into December, when Walker missed 2 1/2 games with another oblique injury.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said before the team left for New England Friday he would not change his run-first thinking and that it would be “business as usual” for the offense without Walker against the Patriots.

“I think ‘Charb’ has a lot of the same skill sets,” Grubb said Thursday. “He’s an excellent receiver out of the backfield. He’s a very, very capable pass protector and obviously a very powerful runner.

“So I don’t think there’s anything in the game plan that would change if Ken wasn’t unavailable.

“So for us, it is business as usual.”

George Fant out

Also as expected, George Fant was inactive. The starting right tackle injured his knee on the 13th offensive play of Seattle’s season, against Denver.

Stone Forsythe replaced Fant against the Broncos. The fourth-year backup tackle and sixth-round pick in 2021 was the starting right tackle in pregame warmups Sunday.

The Seahawks elevated McClendon Curtis from the practice squad to provide another option at tackle against the Patriots.

Key outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu missed his second consecutive game with a sprained knee he got in the final preseason game Aug. 24. Derick Hall was ready to start for Nwosu again.

Also inactive for the Seahawks: injured former Patriots tight end Pharaoh Brown (foot), backup center Olu Oluwatimi, rookie guard Sataoa Laumea and rookie right tackle Mike Jerrell.