4 Seahawks that must improve in 2019 for Seattle to make playoffs

Rashaad Penny

Penny‘s rookie season was one of inconsistency. He wasn’t bad, really. But first-round draft picks, like Penny was in 2018, need to be really good really fast. Hopefully Penny will be much better in year two. He better be because clearly the Seahawks are expecting him to be.

Last year, Chris Carson was far and away Seattle’s best running back. But Carson did miss two games and seem to tire in a couple of others. His replacement the majority of the time was Mike Davis. Davis left in free agency so Seattle no longer has him as a fallback.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1063245776917164033

But Penny needs to be more than a fallback as it is. No player gets drafted in the first round to be a backup. Penny needs to play well enough to make the argument that he could replace Carson full-time as the starter.

That won’t be easy, however, and that is a good thing. If Penny plays up to his athletic potential, Seattle will have two really good running backs to wear teams down and eat up clock. Plus, Penny has the explosiveness, once he learns a bit better balance and how to use his speed and size against NFL defenses, to make several big runs, and not just one.

If Penny is good, Seattle made a wise decision drafted him when they did and letting Davis walk. But if Penny isn’t good in year two, Seattle taking him in the first round might have set the franchise back a few years.