Seattle Seahawks: 3 Big takeaways from loss vs. Rams in Week 5

Rashaad Penny has fallen out of favor in the backfield

This one doesn’t come as a shocker. After Mike Davis ran for over 100 yards last week during Chris Carson‘s absence, he leapfrogged the rookie Penny for carries. Carson is still the team’s starting back but Davis seems to have secured the second string spot, pushing the team’s first round pick this year back into the third string role.

Penny had no carries or receptions in the team’s loss on Sunday. Carson had 19 carries for 116 yards to go along with a reception. Davis had 12 carries for 68 yards, a touchdown and two receptions. Their average yards per carry were 6.1 and 5.7, respectively. With the running game working so well, there’s really no need to plug in Penny.

Penny has less than 100 rushing yards this season and is only averaging a measly 3.2 yards per carry. He also only has four receptions on seven targets. Back during the draft Penny was advertised as a do-it-all versatile back who could run, catch and return. So far he hasn’t done any of those three things particularly well and has been outplayed by other players on the roster.

Rookies shouldn’t be expected to put up big numbers right away or even just in their rookie seasons. Their second years are far more telling, but it’s safe to say the Seahawks and their fans expected more out of Penny by this point.