Seahawks RBs Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny Would Benefit From Modified NFL Schedule

As a result of the coronavirus, the NFL has reportedly begun discussing plans for an abbreviated 2020 season. If a delay to Week 1 is needed, then Seattle's running game could definitely benefit from the additional time off.

With almost every professional sports league across the world on hiatus, it was only a matter of time until discussions would begin about whether the NFL’s schedule would be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of right now, the 2020 campaign is expected to start on time with fans watching in the stands. Several months remain until such decisions would need to be made.

But as Mark Maske of The Washington Post reports, the league office has already started considering all possibilities including a shortened schedule, playing games with or without fans and potentially moving venues or rescheduling games if necessary.

Since there’s been no indication about whether training camp will start on time this summer, delaying the start of the regular season is certainly a real possibility. While pushing back Week 1 is something that everyone will be attempting to avoid, the Seahawks running back corps would likely benefit from a modified schedule.

During this offseason, teammates Chris Carson (hip) and Rashaad Penny (torn ACL) have both been rehabbing from injuries that ended their 2019 seasons prematurely. While both running backs have made substantial progress so far, there’s still no guarantee either will be 100 percent when Seattle opens training camp.

While Carson appears to be closer to returning than Penny, delaying next season would provide each player with additional recovery time and likely improve their chances of being successful in 2020. In addition, a shorter season would also put less of a toll on both of their bodies and lower the possibility of either of them suffering another serious injury.

Despite the uncertainty revolving around next season, Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer mentioned on Sports Radio 950 KJR he expects both Carson and Penny to be healthy and ready by September.

“I feel really good about both of those guys coming back. Obviously, they both had significant injuries. It sounds like they’re doing well when we get our updates from those guys,” Schottenheimer detailed. “We’ll see where those guys come back when we actually come back and have a chance to be together with them, but my money is on both those guys to bounce back from those injuries.”

While Schottenheimer is confident he’ll have both of his impressive running backs by Week 1, coach Pete Carroll sounded less optimistic about Penny’s status for the start of next season back at the NFL combine.

“It would be an extraordinary accomplishment if he [Penny] was ready by the time we got to camp and all that,” Carroll explained. “So we will see what happens. We’re not going to set any deadline on it, just see how he develops.”

If the 2020 campaign isn't pushed back and starts as scheduled, there's a strong chance Penny could be destined to begin next season on the PUP list. As a result, the third-year back would be forced to miss the first six weeks of the regular season minimum.

As for Carson, remaining healthy throughout the 2020 campaign will be crucial for him as he's slated to become an unrestricted free agent next March and he will have issues landing a long-term deal if he fails to stay healthy.

With the Seahawks hoping for another deep playoff run next season, they will desperately need their top two running backs to be healthy and effective throughout the 2020 season. Since both Carson and Penny are recovering from serious injuries, delaying next season will probably be the most effective way to accomplish that feat.

While the start of next season is still undetermined, we should have a clearer understanding of the NFL's contingency plans due to COVID-19 and when the 2020 campaign could begin once official schedules are released on May 9.