Seahawks Final Report Card: Ken Walker III Thrives in Injury-Riddled Backfield
With the 2022 season officially in the books, the Seattle Seahawks will head into the offseason with plenty of momentum after a surprising 9-8 season that resulted in an unexpected return to the playoffs.
Despite playing behind an offensive line featuring three new starters, including a pair of rookie tackles, that struggled for lengthy stretches in the run blocking department in 2022, Seattle finished in the top 10 in the NFL in yards per carry in large part due to the efforts of rookie phenom Ken Walker III. Looking back at a season where numerous backs contributed with injuries aplenty in the backfield, how did the backfield corps perform in 2022?
What Went Right
Vaulted into the starting lineup in Week 6, Walker immediately became one of the NFL's premier playmakers at the running back position. After nearly hitting the century mark in his first career start, he exploded for 167 yards in a road win over the Chargers, including putting the nail in the coffin with a 74-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the victory at SoFi Stadium. Even with a multi-game slump in the middle of the season, he finished with three straight 100-yard performances to close the season and became only the second player in franchise history to rush for 1,000 yards as a rookie, earning a finalist nomination for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
While he didn't post gaudy overall numbers, DeeJay Dallas emerged as a viable complementary back to Walker over the final four games. Running with power and surprising quickness between the tackles while also contributing in the passing game and improving in pass protection, the third-year runner out of Miami rushed for 119 yards, averaged north of 5.5 yards per carry, and tacked on 10 receptions for 84 yards during that span, including a 44-yard catch and run in a Week 17 win over the Jets.
With backs dropping like flies over the course of the season, unsung heroes stepped up in key moments. In a Week 14 road win over the Rams, Tony Jones Jr. received the bulk of the snaps in the second half, helping the Seahawks overcome a deficit late to beat their division rivals. Late in the season, while he didn't see much action on offense, veteran back Godwin Igwebuike brought much-needed juice to Seattle's special teams, returning 11 kicks for 380 yards and nearly a 30 yards per return average.
What Went Wrong
As has been the case for several years running, the Seahawks dealt with major attrition due to injuries at running back. After signing a one-year contract to return to the team in March, Rashaad Penny picked up where he left off following a strong finish to 2021, rushing for 346 yards and two touchdowns in the first five games. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken ankle during a Week 5 loss to the Saints and missed the remainder of the season on injured reserve, failing to play in more than five games for the second time in three seasons and casting doubt about his future with the franchise.
Away from Penny, fourth-year back Travis Homer also struggled with durability in what could be his final season in Seattle. Landing on injured reserve twice, he missed a total of seven games and rushed for a career-low 74 yards while catching only seven passes in limited action offensively. Though he remained a key cog on special teams when healthy and forced a critical fumble on punt coverage in a Week 8 win over the New York Giants, the 24-year old endured a mostly challenging season heading towards free agency in March.
Still searching for a long-term answer in the third down back department, with Dallas being the exception to the rule, Seattle's backfield corps didn't fare well as a whole in pass protection. A clear flaw in his game coming out of Michigan State, Walker had flashes of improvement but still yielded nine pressures on 55 pass protection reps according to Pro Football Focus. Penny wasn't much better before suffering his latest injury, yielding two pressures and a sack on 17 reps, while Homer wasn't quite as effective as expected giving up four pressures on 29 pass blocking opportunities.
Final Grade: B
Shining as a rookie and justifying Seattle's decision to draft him in the second round last April in the process, Walker looks poised to emerge as one of the premier runners in the league moving forward and could have a rushing title in his future as the team's bell cow back. He displayed an excellent combination of speed, quickness, elusiveness, and underrated power at the point of contact during a sterling first campaign and if he makes significant strides as a receiver and blocker, he has a chance to be a special talent in Shane Waldron's offense. His statistics and on-field contributions were worthy of high marks as one of the top rookies in the league.
Away from Walker, talent isn't the biggest issue for the Seahawks. When healthy, Penny has been nothing short of electric and no back in the league has been more dangerous when it comes to ripping off 20-plus yard runs. However, he simply can't stay healthy and while he could be back in 2023, it will have to be an incentive laden veteran's minimum deal due to his laundry list of injuries over the years. Dallas blossomed down the stretch as a change of pace back and may have earned a bigger role entering the final year of his rookie contract, but it would be surprising if the team didn't seek out a more explosive complementary option in the upcoming draft.
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