Despite Short Career, Chris Carson Leaves Lasting Legacy as Seahawks' Bruising Tone Setter
When Chris Carson toted the football, he had one mission: to impose his will on incoming tacklers and rack up as many yards after contact as possible. That mentality served him incredibly well with the Seahawks, helping him transform from an unknown seventh-round draft choice into one of the NFL's most ferocious runners and earn the respect of his teammates and coaches.
Steamrolling his way through and around defenses with an incredible combination of power, quickness, and burst, Carson eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards two consecutive seasons in 2018 and 2019. Whether bulldozing over a helpless safety, power spinning out of a linebacker's grasp, or hurdling over an oncoming corner, few backs were better at evading and breaking tackles. Like Marshawn Lynch before him, his violent, punishing, often reckless style endeared him to a fan base that treats bruising, hard-nosed backs like royalty.
Over the past several months, Carson displayed that same mindset and tenacity as he tried to overcome insurmountable odds coming back from cervical fusion surgery. While things looked bleak and updates from coach Pete Carroll weren't laced with his patented optimism, he held out hope he would be able to power through his rehab and eventually gain clearance to return to the field to resume his role as a backfield juggernaut plowing over would-be tacklers.
"I've taken it on like any other injury I've been through. There's always gonna be good and bad with the process," Carson told All Seahawks in June. "We've been working real hard with my trainers and physicians back in Atlanta and out here in Seattle, so I'm just gonna keep pushing."
Unfortunately, Carson's propensity for emulating a human battering ram between the tackles also contributed to his career being a short one as injuries piled up and eventually took a toll on him. After bouncing back from everything from a fractured ankle to a cracked hip over the years and leaving everything he had on the line for his team, he wasn't able to keep the pile moving forward this time.
On Tuesday, only 24 hours away from the start of training camp, the Seahawks released Carson with a failed physical designation and the veteran ball carrier is expected to retire. By using that designation rather than outright releasing him, the 27-year old will receive several million in injury protection benefits as outlined in the NFL's collective bargaining agreement.
Weeks after he failed to receive clearance to return to the field for Seattle's mandatory minicamp, Carson's latest checkup didn't yield different results. As general manager John Schneider noted in a statement from the team, the Seahawks waited the process out as long as they could, but his condition simply didn't improve enough to pass a physical and risk putting him back on the field.
"It's a big disappointment. We took it as long as we possibly could with him, he saw a number of specialists, but unfortunately he wasn't able to pass our physical," Schneider said via Seahawks.com.
While Carson won't get to leave the game on his own terms and may be on the hunt for closure for some time considering circumstances, he should be proud of everything he accomplished in one of the most unexpected and unlikely paths to stardom in Seahawks history.
Before being selected by the Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Carson didn't enter the pre-draft process as a highly touted running back prospect and in some circles, he was viewed as a priority undrafted free agent rather than a draftable talent. In two years at Oklahoma State, he never surpassed 600 rushing yards and as a senior, he received less than half the carries of starter Justice Hill.
But even given his small workload, Seattle's scouting staff saw a special back in Carson and when the team picked him with the 249th overall selection, coach Pete Carroll couldn't have been more thrilled about the opportunity to see him compete in the backfield.
"I really love this guy because he is so physical and tough the way he ran," Carroll told reporters after the draft. "You haven't heard a whole lot about him, he hasn't run the ball a lot, but when he did, he made a great statement of his style and a style we really covet. I fell in love with how tough he is and how aggressive he is."
An unknown heading into his first NFL offseason program, it didn't take long for others to take notice of Carson's toughness, aggressiveness, and athletic profile. He quickly made up ground on veterans Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls, impressing throughout training camp and the preseason while capturing the attention of teammates.
Among those blown away by the rookie runner, Pro Bowl receiver Doug Baldwin gushed about his upside, indicating that teammates were staying on him so he wouldn't "miss the opportunity" to fulfill his immense potential.
“He just has all the tools," Baldwin said of Carson following a training camp practice. "I think he is probably, to me, is probably the most polished of any rookie at that position that I have ever seen. He has all the tools in his tool bag. He just has to put it all together. He is mature. He has the right mindset. He has the work ethic."
Making the roster out of camp, Carson started Seattle's season opener in Green Bay, rushing six times for 39 yards. Two weeks later, he had his first breakout game, gashing San Francisco for 93 yards on 20 carries while cementing his status as the team's new workhorse back. Unfortunately, a fractured ankle suffered the following week abruptly ended his promising rookie campaign.
Returning in remarkable shape the following summer, Carson re-claimed his starting job and instantly became a fan favorite, giving the offense an identity it had not had since Marshawn Lynch retired. Surpassing the 100-yard mark in each of the final three games to close out the season to earn NFL Offensive Player of the Month honors in December, he became the first Seahawks running back since Lynch to hit the century mark with 1,151 yards and nine touchdowns, leading the NFL's No. 1 rushing attack and guiding the team back to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus.
Carson continued his ascendance to the NFL's elite in the ensuing season, picking up right where he left off with six games of 100-plus yards and posting a new career-high with 1,230 yards for the season. Showing notable improvements as an all-around back, he caught a career-high 37 passes and scored a pair of touchdowns as a receiver, earning a Pro Bowl alternate selection. But he wasn't able to play in the game after cracking his hip in Week 16.
Even in a "down" season by his standards with only 681 rushing yards in 2020, in part due to Seattle's increased emphasis on passing the football, Carson averaged a career-high 4.8 yards per carry in 2020 and tied his previous best with 37 receptions. Rewarding him for his efforts, he received a new multi-year extension in March.
Before his devastating neck injury sidelined him, Carson looked to be primed for a bounce back campaign in 2021. On pace for nearly 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns, he proved to be a major difference maker in the first quarter of the season as the Seahawks started 2-2 in the NFC West. Once he went down, as had been the case in previous instances when he suffered injuries, the offense sputtered for weeks trying to replace him.
In essence, that's what made Carson such a special talent. Rushing for over 3,500 yards and 24 touchdowns in just 49 games, he was the heart and soul that made Seattle's offense tick. In an era where running backs continue to be devalued, he stood out as one of the exceptions to the rule as a player who had a profound influence on the success of his team and when he wasn't available, the running game typically faltered in his absence.
It wasn't simply Carson's ability to break tackles and create after contact with both power and shiftiness. It wasn't simply his underrated hands out of the backfield. It was his willingness to do whatever it took to help his team win. It was his desire to mentor others such as Rashaad Penny. It was putting his body on the line every Sunday that made him an easy player for teammates to gravitate towards and follow his lead by example.
Without a Pro Bowl or All-Pro to his name, Carson's true impact likely isn't known on a national level as it should be and that's a shame. But not coincidentally, Seattle made the playoffs all three seasons he played in at least 10 games. While Russell Wilson cooked under center, the Georgia native set the table for the lead chef, striking fear in defenders tasked with trying to bring him down when he came barreling through the crease like a freight train strapped to a barrel of explosives.
Though he was a man of few words at times in press conferences, Carson spoke loudly through the no-nonsense way he approached the game. He swung a big stick, enforcing his will on the opposition every time he lowered his shoulder and delivered a resounding boom with his pads, energizing everyone on the sidelines in the process. He also awed with finesse, snagging passes like a receiver and floating through the air on hurdles like a track star.
Off the field, Carson made it easy to root for him as well. After signing his lucrative contract extension last year, he purchased his mother a new home to replace her previous one that had been burned down in a fire. Earlier in his career, he raised thousands of dollars for homeless youth in Seattle and received NFLPA Community MVP honors.
As he transitions into the next stage of his life, Carson will be greatly missed by coaches, teammates, fans, and certainly this reporter who cherished watching him play. While his career ended up being far shorter than he deserved and plenty will speculate how differently things would have played out if he stayed healthy, his contributions during the most successful era in Seahawks history will never be forgotten and he will always be remembered as one of the best picks the franchise ever made.
