Rashaad Penny’s back to make his 2020 debut. Whose Seahawks carries will he take?
Rashaad Penny’s back.
At whose expense?
That is the next question, now that the run-minded Seahawks have answered the one that’s surrounded their 2018 first-round draft choice for the last 12 months.
When will Penny play again? Sunday, at Washington.
The Seahawks activated Penny to the roster from the physically-unable-to-perform list Saturday, in time for him to play in the team’s chance to clinch a playoff berth against the NFC East leader in Landover, Maryland.
Penny looked sleek while participating fully in running-back drills with Chris Carson, Carlos Hyde and DeeJay Dallas at the start of practice Thursday. That was the team’s last full work before Sunday’s game.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said Penny “looks terrific.”
“He’s looking fast, he’s looking explosive, moving really well, running routes really well,” Seattle’s play caller said. “I think he looks as good as you could expect him to.”
So good, will he take a lot of Hyde’s carries?
Hyde has had at least 14 rushes in three of the four games he’s played since returning from a three-game absence from a strained hamstring.
Carson, the lead back returning from a month out with a sprained foot, has had 13 and 12 carries the last two games, as Pete Carroll has gotten back to the balanced offense with more running the coach always wants. The Seahawks have been easing Carson into his usual, full load. His 76 yards rushing last week including a bulldozing touchdown run last weekend against the New York Jets were his most productive games since week four at Miami in early October.
Carson is in the final year of contract and is seeking big bucks—he prefers from Seattle. He’s going to want more rushes in the season’s most important games in the coming weeks.
Hyde is ending his one-year, $4 million deal he signed this spring coming off the first 1,000-yard season of his career, for Houston. He wants chances to prove his worth, to the Seahawks or any other NFL team.
Penny is the only one of the three backs signed through next season.
The Seahawks have a decision to make by May 3: whether to pick up his fifth-year option as a first-round pick. Doing so would guarantee his $1.95 million salary for 2021, plus a new one for ‘22 with Seattle.
Penny has yet to play a full and injury-free season of his three in the NFL. He broke a bone in his hand pass blocking during his rookie training camp in the summer of 2018. He ended up playing in 14 of the Seahawks’ 16 games that year. He played in 10 games then needed reconstructive knee surgery after a non-contact injury playing against the Rams in Los Angeles last December.
His missed the first 13 games of this season recovering from that.
Now he’s back, into a Seahawks backfield reloaded for the final three games of the regular season plus the playoffs.
Seattle won’t be needing to call Marshawn Lynch out of retirement to arrive on Christmas Eve and reinforce the backfield again this holiday season.
Lynch is too busy handing out holiday turkeys in Hawaii this year, anyway.
Roster moves
The Seahawks activated to the roster defensive end Damontre Moore from his six-game league suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
Penny and Moore take the roster spots of running back Travis Homer and backup offensive linemen Jamarco Jones. Both went on injured reserve.
Homer has had hand, wrist and lately knee issues. Jones has a groin injury.
They and reserve guard Phil Haynes are going to be out a while, Carroll said Friday.
“All three of those guys are in long-term situations,” Carroll said.
Weather reprieve in D.C.
There were remnants of snow around the Washington, D.C., area Saturday left over from a storm this past week.
But the weather should not be a factor for Sunday’s game.
The forecast is for clouds, just a 20% chance of precipitation and the temperature about 40 degrees for the 1 p.m. local time (10 a.m. Pacific Time) kickoff. There is supposed to be very little wind (7 mph).
This story was originally published December 19, 2020 at 7:51 PM.
