RENTON, Wash. (AP) - Seattle Seahawks first-round pick Rashaad Penny had surgery Wednesday to repair a broken finger.
Head coach Pete Carroll said the surgery went well and Penny isn’t expected to miss more than a couple of weeks.
“He can already move it and it’s not going to be in a cast or any of that kind of stuff, so he’s in pretty good shape,” Carroll said. “We got a great report on it. He’s not going to be out very long at all.”
The rookie running back out of San Diego State was injured during pass-blocking drills Monday and left the field with trainers.
Carroll said he believes Penny can still be ready for the start of the regular season.
“I don’t have any doubt about what he’s capable of doing. I really don’t,” Carroll said. “We just got to make sure he’s in great shape and let him play ball.”
Penny carried eight times for 16 yards in his preseason debut Thursday against the Indianapolis Colts. He also caught two passes for seven yards. He has been the second backup in the team’s rotation behind Chris Carson, who had gained the starting job last year after being a seventh-round selection out of Oklahoma State.
“It was tough,” Carson said of Penny’s injury. “You could tell by the look on his face that he was hurt about it. But he’s a tough kid. He’ll bounce back.”
Seattle has been trying this offseason to fix a rushing attack that netted just one rushing touchdown from a running back all last season. It was a group that also had to use 11 different ball carriers in 2016 due to a number of injuries at the position.
Penny’s addition was both a move to increase production and add quality depth. He had been impressing early in camp before the injury.
“He’s shown us all the instincts. His want-to is great. His learning ability is excellent. … Carrying the football instinctively, how to catch it and run with it, he’s done all that stuff. We’ve seen plenty,” Carroll said.
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