Seahawks Free Agent Primer: Rashaad Penny Returning After Injury?
On the heels of a surprising 9-8 season that culminated in an unexpected playoff berth, the Seattle Seahawks have plenty of roster questions to address heading into another important offseason as they continue their quest back to Super Bowl contention.
When the new league year opens on March 15, Seattle will have 23 players scheduled to hit the market as unrestricted free agents. Three players will be restricted free agents and five will be exclusive rights free agents, while several other key veterans such as linebacker Uchenna Nwosu will be entering the final season of their respective deals ready to negotiate extensions.
Over the next several weeks, I will break down each and every one of the Seahawks' unrestricted free agents by revisiting their 2022 seasons, assessing why they should or should not be re-signed, breaking down an ideal contract, and making an early prediction on whether or not the player will return in 2023.
Kicking off the series, injuries once again doomed running back Rashaad Penny after a strong start last season. Given his success when healthy, will Seattle bring him back to complement Kenneth Walker III in the backfield?
Season In Review
Returning on a one-year deal in free agency, Penny built off a sizzling finish to the 2021 season with a strong training camp, fending off Walker to maintain the starting job rolling into the regular season. After rushing for only 75 yards in Seattle's first two games, the former San Diego State star came to life with 217 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns over the next two games, averaging 7.0 yards per carry and ripping off five runs of at least 14 yards in those contests.
Unfortunately, amid another outstanding performance against New Orleans in Week 5, he suffered a broken fibula when a defender landed on his leg early in the second half. Landing on injured reserve, he missed the remainder of the season.
Why Seattle Should Re-Sign Him
Arguably the most electric backfield threat in the NFL when healthy, Penny has produced 16 runs of 20 or more yards since the start of the 2021 season, third-most in the NFL behind Browns star Nick Chubb and Colts star Jonathan Taylor. Most astoundingly, he reached that total on only 176 carries, while Chubb and Taylor each surpassed 500 carries apiece in that span. He also has rushed for five touchdowns of 20 or more yards, tied for second most over the past two seasons.
Averaging 5.7 yards per carry for his career, he's been a major weapon when the Seahawks have had him in uniform and in a secondary role rotating with Walker, the 230-pound back could still be a dynamic change of pace runner capable of hitting a home run any time he touches the football.
Why Seattle Should Let Him Walk
As great as Penny has been when healthy enough to play, he has missed a combined 40 regular season games, or nearly 50 percent of Seattle's regular season games, since being drafted in the first round in 2018. The best quality for an NFL player to have is availability and he simply hasn't been available for his team due to constant injuries.
On top of obvious durability concerns, he took a bit of a step back in pass protection after making clear strides in 2021 and only caught four passes for 16 yards in five games, hardly looking like a third down back candidate. From a depth perspective, he also offers minimal value on special teams and hasn't played any snaps in that capacity since 2019.
Ideal Contract
One year, $1.5 million with incentives
Prediction
Last March, Penny entered free agency healthy and riding a wave of momentum after leading the NFL in rushing yards over the final six games of the 2021 season. This time around, however, he's coming off a complicated surgery to repair not only a broken fibula, but also a severe ankle sprain.
Added to a laundry list of injuries that already included a torn ACL and multiple soft tissue strains, he won't come close to drawing a one-year contract valued north of $5 million as he did a year ago and teams won't be rushing to the table to sign him.
But if his medicals check out, with him only being 27 years old, the Seahawks could re-sign Penny without breaking the bank to pair up with Walker again in 2022. Considering his immense big play capabilities and undeniable talent, bringing him back as a complementary back alongside Walker would make sense on an incentive-laden, low guarantee contract. The question will be whether or not the team values him in that role due to his struggles in pass protection and lack of special teams contributions. His prospects for returning to Seattle should be viewed as a 50/50 proposition at best.
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