Seattle Seahawks running back Raashad Penny suffered a season-ending ankle injury early on in the third quarter of Sunday’s 39-32 road loss to the New Orleans Saints. It was on a six-yard run that Penny was hurt after being tackled near the sideline. It was determined that he broke his fibula and injured the tibia in his left leg. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said that what makes it really difficult is the high-ankle sprain part of it. It’s a real disappointment for Penny as he just signed a one-year extension in March worth $5.75 million with the chance to earn as much as $6.5 million. At the time of his injury Sunday, Penny had eight carries for 54 yards rushing and was averaging 6.8 yards a carry. The previous week in Detroit when Seattle claimed a 48-45 victory over the Lions, Penny had 151 yards and two touchdowns.
While Seattle will look for him to return to full strength next season as continues to look to show everyone the type of player that he can be, Penny has unfortunately been plagued by muscle injuries before in his career. Prior to Sunday’s injury, the one that had him out the longest was in 2019 when he tore his ACL. Penny missed several games the following season while he recovered from that.
In his absence, the Seahawks will look to rookie running back Kenneth Walker III to step up and do the best he can to fill Penny’s shoes. The playing time will be very valuable for Walker III as he gains experience. In Sunday’s loss, after Penny went down, Walker III had his first career NFL touchdown on a 69-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Northwest Sports Desk 