Should the Jacksonville Jaguars trade for RB Rashaad Penny?

This topic may seem unnecessary to some considering the Jacksonville Jaguars already have a solid running back tandem in James Robinson and Carlos Hyde. However, the Jaguars have room to add more depth to the backfield.

The 2021 NFL Draft has a deep running back class but the Jaguars could choose to opt for adding a player with pro experience and someone who has connections to the Jaguar’s offensive staff.

2018 first-round pick Rashaad Penny’s time with the Seattle Seahawks seems to be coming to an end. Injuries and inconsistent play have prevented him from living up to his first-round value.

Penny had an exceptional career while attending San Diego State University. In 51 games, he rushed for 3,656 yards and 38 touchdowns, averaging 7.5 yards per carry. Matt Miller, formerly of Bleacher Report, ranked Penny as the eighth-best running back prospect in the 2018 NFL Draft and gave him a Day 2 draft grade. The Seahawks ended up surprising many by taking Penny with the 27th overall pick in the draft.

The Jaguars have 10 total draft picks while the Seahawks only have three. Seattle should cut their losses and see if they can gain any draft capital by trading away Penny. A fresh start would be good for both sides.

The Jaguars would be a potential landing spot for Penny for two reasons: They’d likely rather spend a mid-to-late draft pick on a running back with NFL experience and use the rest of their draft picks on more important areas. Second, Penny’s former offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, is the Jaguar’s new passing game coordinator.

Penny likey also has ties to former Seahawk’s offensive coordinator and current Jaguar’s offensive coordinator, Darrell Bevell. Bevell was dismissed by Seattle in January 2018, a few months before they selected Penny, but likely took part in the scouting process of the running back.

Jacksonville has been lacking a powerhouse offense for quite some time now. They have receiving talent, can continue to build up their backfield, and will be adding their potential franchise quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, with the number one overall pick in the draft.

Penny still has a lot of untapped potential, and if he can stay healthy, he can make an immediate impact on a rotational basis. In 2019, he took his transition between year one and year two seriously as he focused on improving his health and losing weight thanks to a nutritionist. Getting out of the rut of Seattle’s offense will be beneficial to his development.