Seahawks Chris Carson Remains NFL's Most Disrespected Running Back
Prior to the start of training camp back in August 2017, few fans knew anything about running back Chris Carson. As an unheralded seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma State who had 248 players selected before him, he wasn't on anyone's radar as a potential NFL star.
But early in camp, it became clear Carson wasn't a typical seventh-round draft choice. Following Seattle's sixth camp practice, beloved veteran receiver Doug Baldwin called him the "most polished" rookie at the position he had ever witnessed.
“He has all the tools in his tool bag," Baldwin told reporters at the time. "He just has to put it all together. He is mature. He has the right mindset. He has the work ethic, but when you see something like that, you don’t want him to miss the opportunity. So we stay on him because we know the potential that he has, but again potential means nothing if you don’t put in emotion.”
As one of the most decorated undrafted receivers in NFL history, Baldwin knows a thing or two about having the right mindset to succeed in the NFL. After all 32 teams passed on him in the 2011 NFL Draft, he arrived in Seattle with a boulder on his shoulder and played the game with incredible emotion, which allowed the Stanford alum to carve out a highly successful eight-year career.
Heaping immense praise on Carson, Baldwin's initial evaluation wound up being prophetic. Though the back only played in four games before an ankle injury ended his rookie year prematurely, he vaulted to the top of the depth chart out of nowhere during the early stages of the season and rushed for 208 yards in limited action.
Fast forwarding two years later, despite eclipsing 1,100 rushing yards in two consecutive seasons for the Seahawks, Carson somehow remains one of the NFL's most underappreciated backfield gems heading into a contract year.
In a poll consisting of 50 NFL executives conducted by ESPN, Carson wasn't deemed one of the top 10 running backs heading into 2020. Former Jaguars star turned NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew further slighted him, ranking him just 15th among all NFL ball carriers.
Even on Madden NFL 21, though unconfirmed by EA Sports during this week's reveal, Carson reportedly received an 86 overall rating, which would place him outside the top 10 backs on the game.
Whether being assessed by a former NFL great and talent evaluators or virtually by video game programmers, Carson continues to be criminally underrated, overlooked at the expense of bigger names such as Leonard Fournette who were drafted much earlier and haven't been near as productive.
Comparing Carson's output to the rest of the league since the start of the 2018 season, he's one of only eight backs with 400-plus carries and 2,000-plus rushing yards over the last two seasons. Having finished in the top five in rushing both years, he ranks fourth in that group with 2,381 yards while scoring 16 touchdowns on the ground.
From an advanced stats standpoint, Carson has also been elite compared to his peers, particularly when it comes to creating yardage after contact. Per Pro Football Focus, he earned the fourth-highest elusive rating (85.2) among qualified backs, which accounts for his ability to break tackles and make defenders miss in space.
Further emphasizing this strength in Carson's game, Pro Football Reference credited him with a broken tackle on every 9.9 rushing attempts last year, a higher mark than Derrick Henry of the Titans and nearly identical to Browns star Nick Chubb. One of the league's true workhorses, he finished fourth in total rushing yards after contact and seventh in yards after contact per carry.
While he won't be mistaken for Christian McCaffrey or Alvin Kamara, Carson has also made significant improvements as a receiver, catching a career-high 37 receptions for 266 yards and two touchdowns in 2019. When targeted in Seattle's run-heavy offense, he's been extremely reliable and exhibited soft hands, posting a catch rate of 78 percent or higher in all three of his NFL seasons.
And yet, despite all of this impressive production, Carson hasn't been able to break through and make his first Pro Bowl or All-Pro squad, which could play a role in why he continues to be overlooked.
As pointed out by Jones-Drew in his rankings, Carson has struggled with ball security woes, as he coughed up the football seven times in 2019 alone. Over the past two years, he's fumbled 10 times, tied with Tarik Cohen for the most by a non-quarterback. That's not a statistic you want to be a league leader in.
But it's worth noting Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook, and Henry, three players ranked ahead of Carson on ESPN's poll as well as Jones-Drew's rankings, each had at least six fumbles during that time frame. Other star backs put the ball on the turf plenty as well but don't seem to be judged as harshly for whatever reason.
Injuries have also been a concern for Carson, who has ended two of his three seasons on injured reserve. Still, he has started in 29 of Seattle's 32 regular season games over the past two years, the same number as Saquon Barkley and Todd Gurley and just two less than Elliott and Henry. From a durability standpoint, he also seems to be unfairly judged in comparison to his backfield brethren.
Set to hit free agency next March, the ceaseless disrespect should only fuel Carson, who will be pushing for a contract similar to the four-year, $50 million contract Henry signed on July 15.
While the value of running backs continues to be up for debate, particularly when it comes to offering second contracts, there's no denying Carson's impact on the Seahawks success each of the last two years. Just as Marshawn Lynch did in his prime, he's let his powerful, downhill running style set the tone for their offense and he deserves far greater national attention for his accomplishments.
