The Seattle Seahawks are preparing to return two players who will help in their pursuit of winning the NFC West. On Wednesday, the Seahawks designated running back Rashaad Penny and cornerback Quinton Dunbar to return to practice from injured reserve. This opens a 21-day practice window for both players to officially be activated.
Penny, who was selected with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 last year. The San Diego State product was finally evolving into the offensive weapon Seattle imagined he would be before he went down with his knee injury, as he rushed for a career-high 129 yards and one touchdown in the Week 12 win against the Philadelphia Eagles, and then 74 yards and another touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings the following week.
"We're really excited to get him back on the field with us," head coach Pete Carroll said on Monday, via the Seahawks' official website. "It's just been a long haul. It's very meaningful for him to get back out there. You really want to see him bang his breaks and really get down and hit it and give good tempo in practice ... I've said it the whole time, the last thing we're going to do is rush the timing of this."
Both Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde have dealt with injuries this season, so Penny will be a welcome addition to the depth chart when Carroll feels as though he is ready.
As for Dunbar, he was placed on injured reserve in November due to a knee injury. He has played in six games with the Seahawks this season, recording 30 combined tackles, five passes defensed and one interception. Dunbar was originally a wide receiver who was picked up by Washington after going undrafted in 2015 and then converted into a defensive back. He eventually became Washington's top cornerback but was traded to Seattle this past offseason in exchange for a fifth-round pick. While he unfortunately had an eventful few months off the field after being traded to the Seahawks, he was able to suit up for the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
"I expect him to practice this week, we'll see how he does," Carroll said. "I'm excited that he's coming back out. He's has a really good process to get back. He's been able to condition more so than he had before and work on it, and I'm hoping his knee has really quieted down. We'll just have to wait and see how the week goes, but he is going to practice."
The Seahawks are scheduled to host the winless New York Jets this Sunday as they look to improve on their 8-4 record.
