Analysis: Could Seahawks and Ravens Line Up on Running Back Trade?

The Seahawks appear to have excess at the running back position and the Ravens, along with a few other teams, suddenly find themselves in need of backfield help. Could the two sides come together on a deal before rosters cut down to 53 players on Tuesday?

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider have said it time and time again: they're in on everything. But that doesn't simply mean looking at ways to add to their roster; they may look to subtract from it as well if something makes sense.

As teams put a bow on the preseason on Saturday, an opportunity may have presented itself for the Seahawks to pounce on. Ravens starting running back J.K. Dobbins had to be carted off the field in a game against Washington, and it's anticipated that further evaluations will reveal a torn ACL—effectively ending the second-year man's 2021 season.

That leaves Baltimore with Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Ty'Son Williams and rookie Nate McCrary in its backfield. Hill has been nursing an ankle injury, but Williams and McCrary combined for 110 yards on 26 carries following Dobbins' exit against Washington. In all, they put up 299 yards on 66 totes, good enough for an average of 4.5 yards per attempt.

Due to those individual performances, perhaps the Ravens feel content with what they have. But the run game is such a large part of their offensive identity, it shouldn't come as a surprise if they scour the trade market and waiver wire for additional help.

If so, the Seahawks may have an option or two for them to consider: Rashaad Penny and Alex Collins. 

Penny, a first-round selection in 2018, doesn't appear to have a clear spot on Seattle's roster following the impressive preseasons of Collins and DeeJay Dallas. He's in the final year of his contract and missed a considerable amount of time in training camp due to a thigh injury.

In the Seahawks' 27-0 win over the Chargers on Saturday night, Penny played a handful of snaps. He posted 24 yards on seven handoffs and tacked on five more yards with a single reception. Meanwhile, Collins appeared to solidify his place on the 53-man roster—and potentially leapfrogged Penny on the depth chart—by leading the team in catches with seven, putting up 52 yards along with another 37 on the ground and a goal-line touchdown. 

He was the star of the night for Seattle, capping off a strong preseason altogether. That may make him the more preferred trade target between him and Penny, but he also may prove harder to pry from the Seahawks' talons.

It's also possible the Ravens would have no interest in Collins to begin with. The former Akansas Razorback played two seasons in Baltimore before he was abruptly released following his March 2019 arrest on gun and marijuana possession charges. 

Penny isn't necessarily an ideal fit, either. He's historically been a more efficient runner out of single set back formations than shotgun, though he's had some impressive moments in the latter as a pro. Nevertheless, that's primarily what he'd run in Baltimore; the Ravens lined up under center just four percent of the time in 2020.

When he's healthy, however, Penny can be an explosive player. He averaged a strong 5.3 yards per carry over his first two seasons, notching 789 yards and five touchdowns on 150 touches. 

That has to be at least mildly enticing to a team like Baltimore, especially for anywhere from a future fifth to a seventh-round draft pick. And while that doesn't seem like much from Seattle's perspective, it's better than the alternative of cutting him for nothing, which feels within the realm of possibility at this point. 

The Seahawks and Ravens could also potentially swap players from positions of excess. Baltimore has a ton of bodies along its defensive line and linebacking corps—two positions Seattle could use depth at. Defensive tackle Broderick Washington Jr. and linebacker Kristian Welch would be a couple names to keep an eye on there; Washington was credited with four stops and a pair of interior pressures in the preseason, and Welch graded out well on special teams. 

The next 48 or so hours should be wild around the NFL. The Seahawks, along with the rest of the league, will whittle their roster down from 80 players to 53 before 1:00 p.m. PDT on Tuesday. By then, there should be more clarity on where Penny fits in all of this. As of now, it's hard to envision him in the Pacific Northwest for much longer. 

Carroll has made it sound as if Travis Homer will make the team despite missing the majority of training camp and the entirety of the preseason with a calf injury. So that leaves the Seahawks with Chris Carson, Collins, Dallas, Homer, Penny and undrafted rookie Josh Johnson. 

While carrying five of the six wouldn't be unheard of, it feels like two will have to go upon further review of the rest of the roster. Johnson is expected to be one, but who will the other be? It's not gonna be Dallas, and it'd be a tough sell to move on from Collins following the night he had against Los Angeles. 

You can fill in the rest.