Here’s a trivia question that 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 training camp stint 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 most 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, is second.
That impressive 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 was never any doubt about his ability to make big plays.
But in college, Penny remained healthy. In the NFL, he didn’t. Penny played in just 45 games in his six NFL seasons as injuries plagued his career. Shortly before retiring, Penny called herself one of the best running backs in the NFL when healthy. The problem was that “when healthy” part, which was rare.
Penny had a solid month when he briefly became the running back the Seahawks thought they were drafting in: the final month of the 2021 season, when in five straight games he totaled 92 carries for 671 yards and six touchdowns. This was a glimpse of what a healthy Penny could have been like. The rest of his career was a frustrating series of injuries and disappointments for a talented but cursed player.
