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Seahawks are going to be good at running back and here is why

By Andy Excell

Dec 13, 2020; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson (32) rushes against the New York Jets during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2020; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson (32) rushes against the New York Jets during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 3, 2019; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny (20) during the second half at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Tampa Bay 40-34. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 3, 2019; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny (20) during the second half at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Tampa Bay 40-34. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports /

Comparing the Seahawks RB group to other teams

A plus in the Seahawks column is the depth they have at RB, they are not many teams where you can make an argument for four or even five running backs being able to be a viable option if and when required.

The five for the Seahawks are Carson, Penny, Dallas, Homer and Collins. If you compare that with three of the top ten teams from the previous section, namely Carolina, Minnesota and Tennessee where losing their primary RB hurts them massively.

Whereas if Carson was injured, the Seahawks still have four other possible options that may not be as good, but would feel more like having a case of turf toe than being hit by a truck.

In terms of their individual rankings I have them as follows;

20. Chris Carson

48. Rashaad Penny

70. DeeJay Dallas

100. Travis Homer

122. Alex Collins

So as a collective group I rank the Seahawks RB quintet 12th overall, those above them are

  1. Indianapolis (Taylor, Hines, Mack & Wilkins)
  2. Tampa Bay (Jones, Fournette, & Vaughn)
  3. Cleveland (Chubb, Hunt & D.Johnson)
  4. New England (Harris, Michel, White & Bolden)
  5. Detroit (Swift, Williams & K.Johnson)
  6. Chicago (Montgomery, Cohen & Damien Williams)
  7. Green Bay (Jones & Dillon)
  8. LA Chargers (Ekeler, Jackson & Kelley)
  9. Houston (David Johnson, Lindsay & Ingram)
  10. New Orleans (Kamara, Murray & Montgomery)
  11. Buffalo (Singletary, Moss & Breida)

Again, we could argue all day and not agree on what the top dozen is, but let’s just accept is a good indicator rather than a perfect one. What this list does show is that eight of the fourteen playoff teams from last season feature in the top twelve. Indeed ten of the fourteen playoff teams are in the top seventeen.

What this list also demonstrates is the value of depth at this position, where teams reliant on one star RB drop out of this list compared to the previous list, whereas Indianapolis jump six places due to the quality and depth they have at the position. It also shows I think far more of the Tampa Bay RB’s than PFF do!

What does this all indicate for the Seahawks? Well, ranking eleventh in one list and twelfth in another shows they have enough ability at the RB position to be a contender, but a move into the top ten would not go amiss.

This list also once more shows that whilst it is pretty useful to have quality RBs, you can make the playoffs and indeed a Super Bowl in the case of the 22nd ranked by me Kansas City Chiefs without them. But probably more so is that you can get away with weaknesses in the AFC that you cannot in the NFC.

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