Five free agents Seahawks should sign before the 2021 season begins

Duke Johnson

OK, so signing Duke Johnson isn’t really a sexy signing but he might be a perfect fit in Shane Waldron’s offense. Seattle has Chris Carson as the starter at running back and Carson usually misses a couple of games each year. Rashaad Penny is his presumed backup and gets hurt even more often. Alex Collins seems to never stick with one team for a long time and that seems weird.

But Johnson can run between the tackles pretty well and this is what Waldron’s blocking scheme likely uses best. Add to that the fact that Johnson is a very good receiver and this fits the mold exactly of what a Rams-style running back (this is likely the kind of offense Waldron is bringing to Seattle after he spent several years on the Rams with Sean McVay). A back who can grind out yards but also catch in the flat and catch as well as Johnson is what the offense needs.

Johnson is used to being a backup so he isn’t going to argue for 250 carries in a season but he is capable of playing on first or third downs. He averages 4.2 yards a carry over his 459 career rushes and catches 76.8 percent of his 400 career passing targets.

Actually, Johnson has more career receiving yards (2,829) than rushing yards (1,931) but he also averages 9.2 yards a catch which is extremely productive for a running back. Johnson will also have the best blocking he’s had in his career in 2021 and if Carson gets hurt, Johnson, maybe even more than Penny, would be the best next-fit for the Seattle offense.