Rashaad Penny back off IR, Alex Collins misses practice, Russell Wilson ‘making progress’
From Chris Carson to Alex Collins and now Rashaad Penny, Seattle’s carousel continues at the sport’s most attrited position.
Many wondered why the Seahawks kept five running backs on the initial, 53-man regular-season roster. It was six, counting part-time fullback and otherwise linebacker and special-team ace Nick Bellore.
This, right now, is why.
Thursday, Penny returned from the injured-reserve list to practice for the first time since he injured his calf barely playing in Seattle’s opener Sept. 12 at Indianapolis. The team’s often-injured first-round draft choice from 2018 hugged Collins as practice began for the Seahawks’ home game Monday night against the New Orleans Saints (3-2).
Collins did not practice. It was four days after he stood on the sidelines during overtime of Seattle’s loss at Pittsburgh. He produced the Seahawks’ first 100-yard rushing day in two years over the four quarters of regulation time against the Steelers. It was his first 100-yard game since Dec. 17, 2017, for Baltimore also at Pittsburgh, ended with hip and glute-muscle injuries coach Pete Carroll called “wear and tear.”
The team listed him with a groin issue Thursday.
Carroll had said earlier Thursday Collins would practice. The coach took that as a positive toward Collins playing Monday against the Saints.
“He’s going to practice (Thursday), so that’s a good sign,” Carroll said, before Collins did not. “He went through walk-through (in the morning) and looked OK.”
Collins started in Pittsburgh for the second consecutive game in place of Carson. Seattle’s usual lead rusher is where Penny just came from, on injured reserve.
Carson has what Carroll has said is a “sensitive, long-term condition” in his neck. No one knows, or is not saying, when Carson may play again. It won’t be any sooner than Nov. 14 when the Seahawks play at Green Bay. Players on injured reserve must miss a minimum of three games.
It’s Collins’ “sweet feet,” as coaches and teammates like to describe the Irish-dancing running back, and the workload for Penny returning in the final season of his rookie contract. How will Carroll balance that.
“Really, really well,” Carroll said, coyly as usual on questions about playing time.
“We are really going to sort that one out. I’m really excited to get Rashaad on the field and playing for us. He’s gunning to go. He’s ready. This is the right time for him to come roaring back, and I’m hoping that he will have a chance to be a big factor in the game.
“Alex is playing great football...competition is a beautiful thing. You will see how we do. We have to get through the week and find out. Rashaad hasn’t practiced in a long time so we have to see how he looks, but he is physically fit.”
The expectation is for Collins and Penny to carry the rushing load fill-in quarterback Geno Smith needs. That is, to keep Smith from having to carry all the burden of the Seahawks being without Russell Wilson for the first time in his 10-year career.
Oh, yeah, you may have heard Wilson is on injured reserve, too, for the first time in his 10-year career. The $140 million franchise cornerstone had surgery Oct. 8 to repair a torn tendon and dislocation of the middle finger of his throwing hand. His streak of 165 consecutive games to begin his career, the sixth-longest for a quarterback in NFL history, ended in Pittsburgh last weekend.
The earliest he can return is Nov. 14, after the Seahawks (2-4) have their bye Nov. 7. Wilson and Carson will miss at least the next two games. After the Saints come to town, Seattle hosts Jacksonville (1-5) Oct. 31.
Carroll still won’t give a timeline estimate on when Wilson may play again. The quarterback remains at practices, though not with the helmet and doing warm-up drills with one arm in them as he did last week before he went on IR Saturday.
“Russ is definitely making progress and he is very positive in all of that,” Carroll said. “I know it’s hard on him. He wants to be out there so badly.
“He’s going to continue to condition really hard and push himself physically and mentally so that he’s not losing anything other than the ability to throw it. It’s really admirable the way he is going about it. He is doing it exactly the best possible way you can do it. We will keep our fingers crossed for good results. We are going to wait and see.”
Asked specifically of the chances Wilson misses only three total games, Carroll said: “I don’t know. We don’t know that. The doctors can’t tell you that and Russ couldn’t tell you that. We have to wait and see.”
