ESPN truly hates the Seattle Seahawks running back group

ESPN put out a list of positional rankings for each unit recently. Among the list, of course, was running backs and where the Seahawks rank might shock you.

Before I get into just how truly awful ESPN’s ranking of the Seahawks running backs is, I will say that ESPN is probably correct on a lot of other of Seattle’s position groups. The receivers were 7th-best (I mean, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, hello!), the edge rushers are 31st (there are a lot of unknowns there for Seattle), and tight ends are 8th-best with Noah Fant and Will Dissly.

But the ranking for the Seahawks running backs is just, well, horrible. According to ESPN, Seattle’s running back group which includes Rashaad Penny (who led the NFL in yards-per-rush in 2021), rookie Ken Walker and backups Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas is 27th-best in the NFL, is simply not good.

Or another way of looking at it, 6th-worst. How can this be? The Jets, for instance, are 16th.

ESPN ranks Seahawks running back group completely wrong

It could be that ESPN ranked so many other Seattle position groups very low and didn’t bother to really look at the versatility and talent on the RB group. Maybe one of the people helping rank teams just said, “Meh, I don’t have time to look but it’s Seattle so they must be awful.”

But Penny is capable of being a Pro Bowl back, if he stays healthy. He ran for over 700 yards in the final five games of 2021 alone and averaged 6.3 yards a carry.

Walker was a beast in college and has the size and speed to be a number one running back on an NFL team for years. Luckily for Seattle, that time will be spent with a 12’s favorite team.

Travis Homer is a capable running back who can also catch the ball out of the backfield. His real strength is on special teams, though. He calls the alignments for Seattle in punt formations and calls the occasional fake that turns out really well.

And DeeJay Dallas looks stronger and just as fast every season. In preseason so far, he looks capable of being the number one back in spot duty, if needed.

ESPN is simply wrong about Seattle’s running backs. The group has high-end talent at the top and excellent depth with Homer and Dallas. The RB unit could also be one of the biggest reasons the Seahawks surprise national pundits and have a successful season in 2022.