Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks
If someone asked you to name the top five running backs in the NFL today, you would probably respond with players like Derrick Henry, Ezekiel Elliot, Saquon Barkley, or Christian McCaffrey. Each of them has a legitimate claim for that throne, but you might be shockeed to learn that placing among them is Seattle’s Chris Carson, who is fifth in the NFL over the past two years with 2,381 rushing yards.
After being drafted with the 249th pick out of Oklahoma State, Carson has cemented himself among the top performers in the league and helped Seattle regain their status as an elite rushing team.
Last year, his 1,230 yards rushing and 266 receiving yards complemented a potent Russell Wilson passing attack up until an untimely injury in Week 16. He has had multiple hip injuries since 2018 and fractured it once again in late 2019, though he was reportedly able to avoid surgery.
Since then, his backfield mate Rashaad Penny also tore his ACL, the team drafted RB DeeJay Dallas in the fourth round, and recently signed Carlos Hyde, who is fresh off of a 1,000-yard season.
Assuming Carson comes back to full health along with Penny this offseason, they will still have much more competition in their position group compared to last year. Carson’s value to the team is enough reason to be patient with him, but another 1,200-yard season may be out of the realm of possibility.
