Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson is making his case once again as the team’s starting ball carrier in training camp.
Carson was selected in the seventh round with the No. 249 overall pick (fourth to last) in the 2017 NFL draft. Two years into his career, Carson has totaled 1,581 all-purpose yards in 18 games and 17 starts. Not a bad start for a seventh-round pick, to say the least.
Carson’s rookie season was cut short by a broken ankle in Week 4 against the Colts, but he displayed surprising potential with 208 rushing yards in four games behind an incompetent run-blocking offensive line. Seattle’s “run game coordinator” Tom Cable was promptly fired after that season.
This benefitted Carson greatly. With new offensive line coach Mike Solari, the Seahawks’ line created more holes for RBs to run through. Carson had a breakout season, posting 1,151 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He may have been a no-show in Seattle’s 24-22 Wild Card loss against the Cowboys, but that performance gave him something to build on, and he seems to be planning to do that this season judging by his work ethic in training camp.
“I just want to build on my last year, keep improving,” Carson told reporters Tuesday. “I knew a lot of things I needed to work on so I tried to sharpen that up in my game. The confidence in definitely good, having a full season and being able to play in the NFL is a great thing.”
It is not often that a seventh-round pick edges out a first-round pick for a starting position, but it seems Carson has accomplished it by impressing more than Rashaad Penny.
