Rashaad Penny Officially Returning for Seahawks, Darrell Taylor's Season in Doubt
All the way back from a torn ACL suffered last December, Rashaad Penny will return to the practice field for the Seahawks next week as the team begins preparations for a Week 14 matchup with the Jets.
According to coach Pete Carroll, Penny will be designated for return from the PUP list following Sunday's game against the Giants. The third-year back has been sidelined since the start of training camp recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.
"Rashaad is practicing next week and we're finally on it," Carroll told reporters on Friday. "We've made the commitment and we're doing it and so that one is for sure."
For the past few weeks, Carroll has sounded optimistic about Penny's chances of returning to action, but Seattle has opted to err on a side of caution with the former first-round pick. All along, the organization hasn't wanted to rush him back and getting Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde back recently from injury has given them more flexibility when it comes to ensuring he's 100 percent ready to go.
While it remains to be seen how the Seahawks will split up backfield reps once Penny is officially activated to the 53-man roster, his presence will add another wrinkle to the team's rushing attack complementing Carson and Hyde. On 65 carries last season, the former San Diego State star rushed for 370 yards and averaged 5.7 yards per carry, busting off 58 and 37-yard touchdown runs against the Eagles and Steelers.
Offering a third gear at the second level that none of Seattle's other backs possess and showing improved receiving and pass protection skills prior to succumbing to injury, Penny should provide a different dynamic for opposing defenses to worry about if healthy and could be in the mix for third down reps.
Though the Seahawks expect to have Penny back in a helmet and shoulder pads starting next week, there's far less certainty revolving around rookie defensive end Darrell Taylor, whose status remains unclear.
Taylor, a second-round pick out of Tennessee, has been on the Non-Football Injury list since the start of training camp in August while recovering from offseason surgery to insert a titanium rod into his leg to help repair a stress fracture. While Carroll indicated earlier in the week that the young defender hadn't had a setback, his latest status update on Friday wasn't encouraging.
"He left town to see some docs and so we'll find out about that when we do,"Carroll stated. "I don't have any information on that yet."
Getting a second opinion this late in this season isn't a good omen for Taylor or the Seahawks. It signals there are still significant concerns about his readiness to play despite positive reports from Carroll in recent weeks about him ramping up his running and "wearing out" trainers as he worked his way back to the field.
This new development doesn't necessarily guarantee Taylor won't return at some point. The team and player may simply be seeking out additional medical consultation to ensure he's good to go and if everything checks out, he could be joining Penny on the field in the next week or two.
But considering there's only five games left to play in the regular season and he hasn't participated in a single NFL practice yet, if Seattle has any doubts about his health at this point, it may be time to shut him down with sights shifting to the 2021 season.
In the cases of Penny and Taylor, assuming both return to practice at some point, the Seahawks would have a 21-day window to activate them to the 53-man roster. If that window expires and they aren't activated, they would revert to injured reserve and would not be eligible to return for the rest of the season.
