By Gregg Bell
McClatchy News Service
INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor, consecutive 2,000-yard seasons at Wisconsin. A sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash—while weighing more than 225 pounds.
The powerful, versatile DeAndre Swift from Georgia.
Zach Moss of Utah. Clyde Edwards-Helaire from LSU.
Many scouts think they will be among the dozen or more running backs who will go in the first four rounds in April’s NFL draft. That talent makes this one of the deeper draft classes at the position in years, at a position the league devalued over the last decade. The 14 running backs drafted, total, in the first round from 2010-19 were the NFL’s fewest in a decade since the 1940s.
But running backs aren’t devalued in Seattle. Not with Pete Carroll still coaching.
This is a very convenient draft for one of the Seahawks’ offseason issues: ensuring they have enough effective running backs.
“We have to make sure that we have enough depth,” Carroll said last week at the league’s scouting combine, speaking off to the side of a podium in the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.
Carson’s status
Lead back Chris Carson did not need surgery for his cracked hip that ended his season in December. That has the Seahawks thinking their 1,200-yard rusher from 2019 and 1,110-yard man the year before will be back for the beginning of the 2020 season in September.
Carson has rushed for 2,381 yards with 18 total touchdowns the last two seasons. He said in mid-January he has his sights on being ready for the start of training camp in July.
“I mean, you never know,” Carson said Jan. 15. “But that’s the goal.”
But Carson has not yet been cleared by doctors for full rehabilitation.
“There’s not a whole lot Chris can do, so he hasn’t done many things wrong,” Carroll said last week of Carson’s rehabilitation so far this offseason. “It’s an injury that takes time.
“It’s serious because it’s a hip, but it’s not serious in that we know what’s gonna happen. It’s not displaced or any of that kind of stuff. We just need to wait it out, which is really hard for Chris because he’s a workout maniac and loves to be in the weight room and all that. He’s doing the best he can and he’s done everything he can possibly do and we’re just hoping he just doesn’t overdue it, so we’re trying to monitor that.
“But we’re counting on a full recovery. He should be ready to go.”
Yet the Seahawks are going to manage Carson’s plays in practices this preseason into the regular season.
Penny to PUP?
Carroll said at the combine number-two back Rashaad Penny may begin training camp and perhaps the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Seattle’s first-round pick in 2018 got on a stationary bike last month for the first time since his season-ending knee injury in early December then reconstructive surgery.
C.J. Prosise, last season’s number-three back who broke his arm in December, is going to become a free agent in two weeks; his rookie contract has ended. The Seahawks aren’t giving any signs they are going to sign back the running back who had nine different injuries in the four years since the team drafted him.
That leaves Seattle with Travis Homer and Adam Choice as the only other running backs on the roster. Both were rookies last season. Choice spent it on injured reserve.
Homer, the sixth-round pick from Miami a year ago, became the fourth-choice lead back in late December. He got his first carry in the offense late that final month of the regular season. That was after Carson, Penny and Prosise got hurt and the Seahawks brought back Marshawn Lynch from 14 months in football exile.
Lynch signed only for the final two games of the regular season and the playoffs this past season. Carroll said general manager John Schneider aren’t ruling out Lynch possibly playing again for Seattle in 2020.
“Never say never,” Carroll said at the combine last week.
But Lynch’s return would be on another special, partial-season deal.
“I’m not going to rush him back to offseason, that’s for sure,” the coach said. “That’s never been one of his strengths.”
All this leaves this team that still will base its offense and season on Carroll’s preferred running game with a shortage of runners for 2020.
Asked if the running-back position is a concern, Carroll said in Indianapolis: “Depth wise, early on, in camp (for this summer).
“Homer did a great job for us. We’re thrilled for what he added…he’s legitimately a factor. He’s got some stuff that he does in his style that’s different than the other guys that we really like. But we have to make sure that we have enough depth.
“Chris should be absolutely fine. We won’t overdue it with him. He’s had two great back-to-back seasons. We’re going to take care of him throughout all the way to game time when it comes up.
“So that means we’ve got some spots available for guys to compete for, so we’ll see how that goes.”
Draft stock
Philosophically, big picture, Seattle would be neglecting its bigger needs on the offensive and defensive lines, particularly for pass rushers, and at cornerback if it used its top pick on a running back for the second time in three drafts. It remains more likely Schneider trades down, yet again, from his first-round choice at 27th overall.
They deal down because the GM and his scouting staff usually have no more than two dozen players rated as first-round talent in a draft. The Seahawks have made a trade involving their first-round pick in eight consecutive years, while generally picking at the bottom of the opening round.
Because this draft is believed across the league to be deep at running back, Seattle shouldn’t need to draft a runner in round one. Seattle currently owns six picks in the first four rounds. A powerful, rugged runner such as 247-pound A.J. Dillon from Boston College could be around in the fourth round.
“One of the issues is, we’ve got to get Penny back and him to compete,” Carroll said, knowing that’s going to take longer than it takes Carson to get back. “He had a really nice season. He was really going when he got banged up. All those guys went down in one, freakin’ fell swoop that brought on the return of Beast Mode.
“Let’s count on that not happening.
“So, we stay steady and keep growing. We finished the year where we were kind of scrambling a little bit.”
