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Rashaad Penny's Return Coming at Perfect Time for Slumping Seahawks

Scoring under 20 points for the second time in four games, Seattle needs a spark offensively. Considering the team's injury situation in the backfield, the explosive Penny could provide just that as he returns to practice this week.

Since returning to action following a four-game absence with a mid-foot sprain, Chris Carson has performed well over the past two games, producing 106 rushing yards on 21 attempts while adding five catches for 63 yards and scoring touchdowns as both a runner and receiver.

But when asked about why Carson didn't receive more touches in a 17-12 loss to the Giants on Sunday, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll made it clear the fourth-year runner isn't fully healthy. While the team may wish to ride their workhorse a bit more to boost a sputtering offense, his words suggested that simply isn't an option right now.

“He’s making it to the game is what he’s doing right now,” Carroll told reporters in his post-game press conference. “His foot is still sore but he can play, so you can see, he looked good, but it’s just not 100 percent and so we’re trying to not overload him.”

As Russell Wilson continues to struggle through the worst slump of his NFL career, Carroll has emphasized finding offensive balance in recent weeks. But even when the run game seems to be working, Seattle hasn't stuck with it, as further evidenced by the fact offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer called for the star quarterback to drop back more than 75 percent of the team's snaps against a very good New York defense.

With Carson and Carlos Hyde both still playing through discomfort and only four games left to play, it's worth wondering if either back will be close to 100 percent before the regular season concludes. Each player appears to be in survival mode just trying to get through the week for game day and the Seahawks clearly can't count on either for extensive carries, which makes the impending return of Rashaad Penny all the more important.

Set to practice for the first time this season on Wednesday, Penny will be designated for return from the PUP list nearly a year after suffering a torn ACL and other ligament damage in a loss to the Rams. It's been a challenging road back for the first-round pick, who endured a lengthy rehab following reconstructive knee surgery and will now have to show he's ready to play on the practice field.

"We're really excited to get him back and get him back on the field with us," Carroll said on Monday. "It's just been a long haul. This is very meaningful for him to get back out there."

Before succumbing to his injury last December, Penny was in the midst of a breakout for Seattle. After producing only 419 rushing yards as a rookie, he exploded for 129 yards in a win over Philadelphia, including a 58-yard touchdown. He followed up with over 100 all-purpose yards and a pair of touchdowns to help beat Minnesota the next week, continuing to emerge as a complimentary weapon to Carson.

Entering that fateful game in Los Angeles, Penny was averaging a team-best 5.3 yards per carry, proving himself as a dynamic home run threat out of the backfield. Possessing 4.40 speed at 230 pounds, he has the ability to accelerate to a different gear compared to the rest of the running backs on Seattle's roster, offering something the team has been missing so far this year in the run game.

"You really want to see him bang his brakes and really get down and hit it, give really good tempo in practice," Carroll explained. "He needs to practice at a high tempo and make the choices and the cuts that he has to make, catching the ball, how he's moving, how he's bursting. All of those things we'll look for. He's a really fast football player and really sudden and we'll look for all those things."

Coming back from such a significant injury at a physically demanding position, as Carroll noted, the Seahawks have to see how healthy Penny looks making cuts on the field. Playing football is far different than running sprints or lifting weights during rehabilitation work and the last hurdle can be the most difficult one to get over after such injuries.

Aiming to return to game action for the Seahawks in the near future, Carroll indicated Penny will start receiving snaps with the scout team working against the first team defense at practice this week.

"I want to make sure he feels really good about it," Carroll remarked. "That'll ultimately be what it is. He's gotta say 'I'm ready, I can go, I can hit it' and he's to that point to practice now. Now he has to go out and do it against our guys, so it'll just be a process of evaluating it."

As has been the case all along, the Seahawks won't rush this final step with Penny and they want to ensure he's 100 percent ready to go. They won't activate him to the 53-man roster until he proves he's ready to go and per Carroll, they'll have to "push it" on the practice field to give him the best shot at making it back this late in the season.

But if Penny has fully recovered and regained his pre-injury explosiveness, there's no question he can provide a slumping Seattle offense with a substantial lift heading into the final stretch run with his unique array of skills. His presence could also allow time for Carson and Hyde to keep getting healthier, presenting the possibility all three could be clicking on all cylinders just in time for the playoffs next month.