Seahawks Rookie Kenneth Walker III Up as RB Rashaad Penny Out with Broken Leg

With Rashaad Penny expected to miss extended time and possibly be done for the remainder of the season, the Seattle Seahawks will turn to Ken Walker III as their bell cow back moving forward.

After leaving Sunday's loss to the Saints on a cart with a significant ankle injury, the Seahawks worst fears have been realized with Rashaad Penny likely done for the 2022 season.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Penny broke his left tibia and will be evaluated for additional damage on Monday to determine whether or not he will require surgery to repair the injury. While coach Pete Carroll didn't indicate explicitly whether or not his season was finished, his update on the back's status after the game was anything but encouraging.

"He's got a bad ankle. He's in trouble for getting back," Carroll somberly reported.

After rushing for 48 yards on seven carries in the first half Sunday, including a 32-yard run in the second quarter, Penny suffered the injury on his first carry of the third quarter. Taking a pitch from quarterback Geno Smith on a toss play to the left, he raced to the sidelines on 3rd and 1 and picked up six yards for a new set of downs.

Unfortunately, it appeared a defender landed directly on Penny's leg and rather than get up and try to get up, he slid back towards the bench on his backside as trainers rushed to help him. Unable to put any weight on his left foot, he was assisted to a cart and taken to the locker room.

During the timeout, Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny was helped off of the field and then carted into the locker room. pic.twitter.com/6r8emGp9O5

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 9, 2022

Injuries have been a persistent problem for the talented Penny, who missed 27 games in his first four seasons, including 13 games in 2020 recovering from reconstructive knee surgery to repair a torn ACL. Last year, he missed six games with a calf injury before finally breaking out in December and January while leading the NFL in rushing yards and scoring six touchdowns.

Off to a strong start this season after re-signing on a one-year contract, Penny entered Sunday's game averaging six yards per carry and scored two long touchdowns in Week 4 against the Lions, earning himself FedEx Ground Player of the Week honors. Losing his home run hitting ability out of the backfield will be a major blow for the Seahawks' offense, but the team does have a viable replacement waiting in the wings in second-round pick Ken Walker III.

The reigning Doak Walker Award winner, Walker rushed for more than 1,600 yards and 18 touchdowns at Michigan State last season. An explosive athlete with the burst to take any handoff for six points, he quickly made his presence felt stepping in for Penny, cutting back to find a massive crease and accelerating past the Saints' defense for a 69-yard touchdown run that briefly gave the Seahawks a 32-31 lead.

Speaking with reporters after the game, Walker believes he's ready to take the torch with his fallen comrade likely heading to injured reserve.

"I'm ready. We practice every day, I feel real comfortable with the offense," Walker said. "I've got all the running backs in there to teach me everything I need to know, so I feel real comfortable in the scheme."

Assuming Penny needs surgery and does not play again this season, Walker will be the undisputed bell cow back for the foreseeable future with DeeJay Dallas as his primary backup. With Travis Homer currently on injured reserve, Darwin Thompson or Godwin Igwebuike could be elevated from the practice squad to 53-man roster for additional depth. The team could also explore bringing back Josh Johnson, who was released on September 8 with an injury settlement.

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