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Seattle Seahawks rookie running back Rashaad Penny has been sidelined for the last several days after suffering a broken finger that required surgery, putting his availability for the regular season opener against the Denver Broncos in question.
However, head coach Pete Carroll said he expects Penny to be on the field ready to go for Week 1 action to begin his NFL career, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“He’s running around already,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Tuesday regarding rookie running back Rashaad Penny, who suffered a broken finger earlier in training camp. “He’s back in terms of conditioning and moving and all that kind of stuff. We’re very fortunate he’s going to be able to get back right away. It’s just a matter of making sure that it’s secure and quiet it down. He’ll run all week long and he could be ready for next week, for sure be ready for the opener.”
Penny has not earned the starting job outright just yet, but he figures to be a major factor out of the backfield given what he brings to the table. He has proven himself as a stout runner that could become a huge impact player in the running game.
Penny is coming off an impressive 2017 season at San Diego State where he finished fifth in voting for the Heisman Trophy after leading the nation with 2,248 rushing yards along with 23 touchdowns. He earned First-Team All-American and All-Mountain West honors.
The Seahawks clearly have a lot of confidence in Penny given that they took him in the first round of this year's draft, which was higher than most projected him to go. He has a chance to be the workhorse running back for the next several years for the franchise, and should get a chance to prove that in his rookie campaign.
Seattle has a strong need to improve their running game after finishing 23rd in the league last season, as quarterback Russell Wilson had three of the team's four rushing touchdowns.
