An early look at the Seahawks 2019 running backs

The Seahawks starter at running back is certainly set, but who will back up Chris Carson? Here’s some early guesswork at the names and their roles.

The Seahawks found their answer to what had become their perennial question: who’s carrying the load at running back? We know Chris Carson is the lead back coming into 2019, and Rashaad Penny will definitely be in the mix as well. But with a lot of questions surrounding free agency, who will round out the Seahawks backfield?

Chris Carson proved he was up to the task of replacing the great Marshawn Lynch. I’m not saying he’s as good as Lynch. It’s a little early to go that far, as we just have one (almost) full season plus a four-game rookie campaign for comparison. But Carson shows every sign of being one of the league’s best running backs for the foreseeable future.

Seattle Seahawks

Carson wrapped up 2018 with three straight hundred-yard games to give him six on the season. He was fourth in the league in yards per game and seventh in yards per carry among backs with at least 200 carries. He found the end zone nine times, an achievement Russell Wilson certainly appreciated. Because Wilson was practically the only guy to run the ball into the end zone in 2017.

Not quite the only guy, but we’ll get to that player later. As for Lynch, in his first full season with Seattle, he had six hundred-yard games and averaged 4.22 yards per carry. That’s far below Carson’s 4.66 average. Lynch went on to greater seasons, but I’m betting Carson will do the same. He certainly shares a love for contact and general mayhem with Beast Mode. With Carson as the likely starter, who backs him up?