With the hiring of Waldron and the assumed scheme changes, and the expectation that we’re going to be creating space and working the edges a lot more, I think someone like Penny just might excel in a Waldron/McVay type offense.
I think the reason a lot of people have the impression Penny is not capable of being a feature back is because he has never been utilized properly in the Pete Carroll offensive system. Pete was trying to turn him into a CC type back by running him in the A-gap, looking for him to break tackles and run over people similar to what CC does.
But that’s not who Penny is, or where his strengths are. He is much better on the edges and in space, and in my opinion is much more suited for a McVay type offense than someone like Carson would be.
This may not be a popular opinion, but personally I would like to see what he could do in a full-time role, and in an offense that’s more suited to his skill set. We’ve never had the opportunity to see that. He’s never been given the opportunity to get into any type of rhythm.
Prior to his injury in 2019, even in a part time role, he was tearing it up and looked like everything we hoped he would be when they drafted him. Give him a shot for at least the first 4 games and see how it goes. If he’s not producing at an expected level, you adjust and let him walk at the end of the year. But we need to see what we have in him first, and I don’t think anyone really knows that at this point.
How would you all feel if we let him walk not knowing what we have, and he ends up being a star with another team?