It would appear that the Seattle Seahawks have found their perfect replacement for Marshawn Lynch in former Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy.
Lacy was quickly signed on with Seattle on Tuesday after visiting with the team’s brass. Enthusiastic about his new endeavor out west, Lacy shared his thoughts about how he plans to contribute to the Seahawks offense.
“They definitely fit the way I run,” Lacy said Wednesday, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN. “I’ve always favored Marshawn Lynch’s running style, and that’s something Pete Carroll definitely likes. I’m going to come in and do my best impression of him and just bring my hard work and my hard running style to the table.”
Lacy’s commitment to mirror Lynch’s production might be hard to sell considering how his 2016 season ended. He played in only five games before landing on IR and rushed for just 360 yards with zero touchdowns.
Lacy has also beefed up in size, with a recent weigh-in registering him at a hefty 267 pounds. But, this doesn’t seem to bother Carroll, who recently said that he prefers Lacy big.
The Seahawks’ plan is for Lacy to work his way down to weighing in the 240-pound range.
Last year, running back Thomas Rawls, who weighs 217 pounds, took some pretty nasty hits. He also managed only 349 rushing yards and three touchdowns over the course of nine games. His yards per attempt equaled a meager 3.2. Despite Lacy’s injury season last year, he did still manage to tote the ball at an average of 5.1 yards per carry.
When physically fit, Lacy is a beast. He has his spin move down pat and averaged 4.4 yards per carry throughout the course of his four-year career in Green Bay.
Eddie Lacy (@Lil_Eazy_Ana_42) breaks tackle with spin for 61 yards gain. #GBvsAZ pic.twitter.com/LmdXFbgQzf
— ™ Iท βα๓a ไ ㅜяบรт ™ 𓃰 (@BamaPride4Ever) January 17, 2016
There are going to be a lot of naysayers down on Lacy until they see him in action. The Seahawks’ rushing offense ranked 25th in the league in 2016. Clearly, Carroll sees the potential in Lacy, who should be able to get Seattle’s run game back on track for 2017.
Plus, the fact that the Seahawks preferred a younger Lacy over the likes of Adrian Peterson speaks volumes.
Lacy will be a perfect replacement for Lynch. Seattle has been searching for that bell cow running back ever since Lynch walked out the door, and now they have found one. His involvement in Seattle’s offense will open up the entire game plan, as teams will once again have to account for a consistent battering ram up front.