Rankings season is just about over, with only a handful of days to go before training camp begins for the Seattle Seahawks. While the overall outlook for this team in 2022 isn’t good, there are a number of positions on the roster where they are stacked. One of the deeper spots is running back, long a point of emphasis for head coach Pete Carroll – for better or worse.
Heading into this season, Seattle appears to be about as deep as any team in the league at this position. The group will be led by Rashaad Penny, who closed the 2021 season as the most effective rusher in football. If his Madden rating is any indication Penny is still getting slept on by a lot of folks, but he’s finally getting some due recognition.
Doug Farrar has a new list of the league’s top 11 running backs and Penny came in at No. 10.
“From Week 12 through Week 18, there wasn’t a more productive back in the league. Penny ran 102 times for a league-leading 706 yards, 6.9 yards per carry, six touchdowns, 4.98 yards after contact per attempt, and 12 runs of 15 yards or more. This is the back the Seahawks envisioned when they took Penny that high… Can Penny turn that last few weeks into a full season of excellence? Such a turn would put him in the top five of next year’s list, and take him to a new level, contractually. We can but wait and see.”
Penny should project as Seattle’s starting running back to begin the season. It likely wouldn’t take much for him to get pulled in favor of rookie Ken Walker, though. A minor injury or a small slump might be all it takes for No. 9 to take over.
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