Here’s a trivia question few fans will get right: Among running backs with at least 300 carries, who has the highest yards-per-carry average in NFL history?
The answer is Rashaad Penny.
Penny, who retired this week after a brief stint in training camp with the Panthers, had 348 carries for 1,951 yards in his NFL career, an average of 5.61 yards per carry. That’s the highest of any running back in NFL history with at least 300 carries. Bo Jackson, who averaged 5.40 yards per carry in his NFL career, ranks second.
That eye-popping average illustrates the talent that led the Seahawks to draft Penny in the first round in 2018. In his senior year at San Diego State, Penny’s numbers were incredible: 289 carries for 2,248 yards, an average of 7.8 yards per carry. There’s never been any doubting his ability to make big plays.
But in college, Penny stayed healthy. In the NFL, he did not. Penny only played in 45 games over his six NFL seasons, as injuries plagued his career. Shortly before he retired, Penny called himself one of the NFL’s best running backs when healthy. The problem was that “when healthy” part, which was rare.
Penny had one solid month when he briefly became the running back the Seahawks thought they were drafting: The final month of the 2021 season, when in five consecutive starts he totaled 92 carries for 671 yards and six touchdowns. That was a glimpse of what a healthy Penny might have been. The rest of his career was a frustrating string of injuries and disappointments for a talented but cursed player.