After losing a slew of free agents on Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles made a splash acquisition of their own on the second day of the league's legal tampering period. The defending NFC champions agreed to terms with former Seattle Seahawks' running back Rashaad Penny.
The team -- and its new running back -- confirmed the signing Wednesday:
— Rashaad Penny (@pennyhendrixx) March 15, 2023
The 27th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Penny averaged 5.7 yards-per-carry during his time in Seattle. He averaged a league-best 6.3 yards-per-carry in 2021 while setting career highs that season in rushing yards and touchdown runs. Penny followed that season up by averaging 6.1 yards-per-carry last season.
Penny's time in Seattle did not come without its challenges, however. He did not start in a single game during his first three seasons while playing behind Chris Carson. A torn ACL injury wiped out a good chunk of his 2020 season and most of his 2020 season. Penny missed the final 12 games of the 2022 season after breaking his fibula.
When healthy, Penny mostly played like a first-round pick. He had seven 100-yard rushing performances that included three straight games of at least 135 yards late in the 2021 season. During that span, Penny ran for 135 yards and a touchdown against the Bears, 170 yards and two touchdowns against the Lions and 190 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals. Penny averaged a whopping 7.62 yards-per-carry in those contests.
The addition of Penny is significant given that Miles Sanders and Boston Scott are currently free agents. The only other running back that made an impact for the Eagles last season was Kenneth Gainwell, who ran for four touchdowns while averaging 4.5 yards-per-carry.
Seattle will likely look to add depth at the position behind Kenneth Walker III, who as a rookie last season rushed for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games.
