Seattle Seahawks: Predicting team leaders in statistics for 2019
By Samuel Teets
Rushing Yards
Chris Carson is Seattle’s star running back and he’ll lead the team in rushing this coming season as long as he stays healthy. Carson has only played in 18 games through his first two seasons, but 2018 was his first year entering as a full-time starter. It’s not unfair to question Carson’s durability, but there is no back on the Seahawks roster right now who is even close to his skill. Carson should run away with Seattle’s own rushing title.
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With Mike Davis no longer on the roster, 2018 first-round pick Rashaad Penny is the best back behind Carson. While he may develop into a good back, he was and still is one of the worst selections from the 2018 draft because he’ll never be a starter in Seattle as long as Carson is healthy.
I do expect Penny to see an uptick in work, he might get 150-175 carries and around 750 yards, but Carson should see 250-275 carries for 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns.
Penny’s predicted numbers spiked because I believe he’ll see a lot of the touches that went to Davis in 2018. I do think the Seahawks will lose something though by switching from a three-back system to a two-back one. While the depth chart might be a little less complicated, having three backs makes it harder for defenses to be fully prepared and provides great versatility in options if injuries arise or if one back is just having a bad game.