OCTOBER 10: Carroll confirmed on Monday that Penny suffered a fractured fibula, along with a tibia injury and high ankle sprain (Twitter link via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). As a result, the team’s top running back will, as feared, miss the remainder of the campaign.
OCTOBER 9: The Seahawks lost this afternoon’s wild game against the Saints, but they also exited the contest without one of their top contributors on offense. Running back Rashaad Penny was carted off the field, and will likely be out for a lengthy duration, if not the remainder of the season.
When speaking to the media, head coach Pete Carroll said that Penny has a “serious” ankle injury which will keep him sidelined for a while. Providing a different update with respect to diagnosis, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Penny actually suffered a fractured tibia. In any event, the 26-year-old will undergo testing tomorrow to determine if surgery will be required. Rapoport adds that that will likely be the case, marking another injury blow to Penny’s career.
The former first-rounder suffered a torn ACL in 2020, then dealt with persistent hamstring issues last season. He has yet to play a full season in the NFL, but has flashed plenty of potential when on the field. Last season, he was able to log a career-high 119 carries, and led the league with an average of 6.3 yards per carry. That earned him an extended stay in the Emerald City.
The Seahawks declined Penny’s fifth-year option amidst the numerous injuries he has faced. However, his production upon his return last season earned him a one-year, $5.75MM deal this offseason. With the retirement of Chris Carson, Penny was operating as the team’s No. 1 back this season. Entering Sunday’s contest, he had remained highly efficient, totaling 292 yards on 49 carries (6.0 yards per carry), along with a pair of touchdowns.
In his absence, Seattle will move forward with the trio of Travis Homer, DeeJay Dallas and Kenneth Walker. The latter, a second-round rookie, had his most productive game of the season to date, with 88 yards and one touchdown on eight carries. He will likely take on lead back duties for the foreseeable future, as the team looks for continuity in the running game. Penny, meanwhile, will turn his attention to recovery as heads towards free agency.