The Seattle Seahawks have a handful of running back options available heading into the 2018 season. However, that doesn’t mean they plan to utilize them all in different, specialized roles.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll talked about using their newest addition, first-round selection Rashaad Penny, as a pass-catcher. The coaching staff got a good look at him at rookie training camp this last weekend, and coach Carroll was impressed.
“He caught the ball beautifully,” Carroll said. “He can do whatever we need to do in the throwing game. Schotty (Brian Schottenheimer) did a nice job of mixing some stuff in so we could see him doing different route concepts, so we had a real good variety of things that we looked at in and out of the backfield.”
The coaching staff envisions Penny being used on all three downs, a good sign they don’t want to have a traditional third-down back who plays primarily on passing downs. While this may be favorable for Penny, and potentially Chris Carson, it is not a great sign for C.J. Prosise and J.D. McKissic, who may have otherwise held down that role.
For Penny to develop into an every down back, he’ll need to work on his pass-protection. That’s an area that Penny himself has admitted he needs work in. For what it’s worth, coach Carroll isn’t worried.
“He won’t have any problems with it at all,” Carroll said. “He’s got a great body for doing it. He’s a tough kid. So it’s just a matter of getting in the reps. Understand how physical they can be. The different types of styles of rushes they get. It really comes along rather quickly.”
Penny will be competing with 2017 seventh round pick Chris Carson and veteran Mike Davis for carries in Seattle’s backfield next season. If he can develop as a pass-catcher, there might not be many carries to go around for the other guys.
