As the Seattle Seahawks flocked back to camp, the team met a problem: Their starting running back just decided to call it a career.
On Tuesday, various outlets reported Chris Carson ultimately decided to hang up his cleats due to a neck injury. The injury stems from a Week 4 contest against the division rival San Francisco 49ers last season, which resulted in Carson being sidelined for the remainder of the year.
Per Jesse Morse, a co-owner of The Fantasy Doctors, X-rays revealed Carson's neck had already been in rough shape.
What #Seahawks Chris Carson’s neck hardware looks like. pic.twitter.com/FRgUTmIXmZ
— Jesse Morse, MD (@DrJesseMorse) June 10, 2022
The Seahawks made sure their starting running back went out in style, releasing Carson under the title of a failed physical. With this, Carson is able to receive several million dollars from the CBA, per Ian Rapoport.
Now, the question for Seattle is who will take the role of starting running back? Luckily for the Seahawks, the team had been preparing for such an event. That said, here are two players Seattle has ready to take the place of Carson.
Chris Carson Replacements For Seahawks
2. Kenneth Walker III
With the 41st pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Seattle selected MSU's Kenneth Walker III.
Walker, a 1,636-yard runner in 2021, was the Seahawks' Plan B with Chris Carson. At Michigan State University, the 5-foot-10 running back starred. During his one year at the school, Walker piled up accolades, including the '21 Walter Camp National Player of the Year, '21 Doak Walker Award winner, '21 Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Year, '21 Big Ten Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year, '21 First-Team All-Big Ten, and unanimous '21 Consensus First-Team All-American.
Not only was Walker the first student of the school to win both the Doak Walker Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year, but the running back also managed to finish eighth in Heisman voting. That's the highest a Michigan State player has climbed in the Heisman Trophy voting since 1988.
The 210-pound back was also one of three finalists for the Maxwell Award.
Walker was consistently impressive during his final year at college, leading the FBS in rushing yards after contact and totaling the second-most forced missed tackles. Additionally, Walker led the FBS in total 20+ yard rushes.
The highlight of Walker's '21 campaign was the season opener against Northwestern, where the star rusher ran for 264-yards and four touchdowns. This made Walker the first runner to rush for at least 250 yards with four scores since Melvin Gordon in 2014.
Like most teams, the Seahawks loved what they saw in Walker and decided to make their move. Walker was the second running back selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, coming just five selections after Iowa State's Breece Hall.
With Carson now out of the picture, there's a legitimate chance Walker could be the starting running back in Seattle. First, he'll have to win the starting job over a different Seahawk in camp who currently holds the RB1 role.
1. Rashaad Penny
Another move the Seahawks made to prepare for a possible life without Carson was to extend running back Rashaad Penny. This offseason, Seattle gave Penny a one-year extension worth upwards of $6.5 million to stay with the team.
Throughout his four-year career, Penny has rushed for 1,572 yards with 11 touchdowns. The current RB1 in Seattle has also been responsible for 206 receiving yards, being able to cross the plane once through the air.
In 2021, Penny had his most productive season. On top of a 749-yard and six-touchdown performance on the ground, Seattle's running back led the league in yards per attempt, logging an impressive 6.3. This came after the tailback logged the first starts of his career in Carson's absence.
For his efforts, Penny was given a PFF grade of 80.5, the highest of his pro career.
Penny was drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Five years later, the San Diego State back finally has his chance to shine. He'll compete to hold down the starting job in camp against Michigan State's Kenneth Walker III but is currently the front-runner for the job.
There has been a lot of change to Seattle's roster following the Russell Wilson trade, and the running back situation is yet another change. Russ and Carson are out, forcing Drew Lock and Penny in. If Penny allows himself to be outdone in camp, Walker will step into the starting role.
Either way, there's a new face for the Seahawks as a starting tailback on the roster. Whether it's Penny or Walker who comes away with the job, you can bet the other will still see a significant share of snaps.
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