Seahawks rookie RB DeeJay Dallas has impressed thus far

Three days into training camp and Seahawks rookie running back DeeJay Dallas has impressed some very important people.

DeeJay Dallas is quickly making a name for himself in the  Seahawks training camp. Russell Wilson has praised his mental capabilities, ability to understand concepts and how to take care of his body. While you could say Wilson is known for throwing praise at teammates, he isn’t the only one doing so.

Coach Pete Carroll has been impressed too. He specifically mentioned his versatility. This isn’t a surprise necessarily. Dallas has experience all over the football field. He started his college career playing wide receiver. He was also a quarterback and defensive back in high school.

It appears he has been able to put all that experience to good use. Thus far it appears he has channeled this to help him understand all the complexities of the scheme. Two aspect Coach Carroll has been specifically impressed with is his ball carrying style and his route running abilities. He sounds like a premier 3rd down running back candidate.

As of right now, he is facing some stiff competition in the running back room however. Incumbent starter Chris Carson is expected to be RB1. Carlos Hyde was signed to be the third down pass catching back/off tempo back. Rashaad Penny is expected to return mid season to add more competition.

Behind them, DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer will be fighting for a role. Both players will be battling for kick return duties as well proving they deserve regular game snaps. Both Homer and Dallas are excellent pass catching backs. Dallas is more of a traditional smash mouth Seahawks power back. Whereas Homer plays more of an elusive back style who wins with speed.

This is by far the deepest the running back room has been in years. Anyone of these five players could make an impact on any given Sunday. Seattle could end up electing to ride the hot hand similar to how San Francisco uses their running back group.

DeeJay Dallas was drafted out of Miami in the 4th round of the 2020 NFL draft. Coming out of high school Dallas was rated as the No. 15 overall athlete nationwide. The biggest takeaway I had from Dallas’s college film, he runs angry.

He wants to make the defender regret trying to tackle him. He has phenomenal contact balance. On pass catching, his hands are soft. Year one, his most likely role will be purely special teams/ kick returns. However, don’t be surprised if he continues impressing that the Seahawks let Chris Carson walk in favor of Dallas on his rookie scale contract.