Rashaad Penny is eager to restart his narrative with the Eagles

On of the few new additions to the Eagles early in free agency was RB Rashaad Penny. The former first-round pick from Seattle said it wasn’t a hard decision to sign with Philly and he’s eager to get a refresh from his injury-laden intro to the NFL.

Here’s what the running back had to say:

On choosing to sign with the Eagles

“I feel like this is a great place for me to, like, refresh and restart my career. And, I’m just excited to be here and I can’t wait to get to work.

Playing with a finalist MVP and great running back room, great weapons on the receivers, and obviously, arguably one of the best O-lines. So, I’m definitely excited to get to work.”

Penny admitted that it wasn’t a hard decision for him to make. He emphasized that coming to Philly is a refresh for him and he’s eager to restart his narrative. The running back later mentioned the excitement about getting to play with Jalen Hurts and how fun it was to watch the Eagles’ Super Bowl run last season.

“It helps everybody really when you have a quarterback who can scramble, I mean, do multiple things, and I’m really excited to get to work with him for sure. It lightens up the box for running backs, it makes the hole a lot bigger. The O-line is already massive and amazing, they already do a great job. So, it just really makes the running back jobs easier here.”

What the Eagles do schematically wasn’t a factor in his decision, with Penny saying that he’s just here to help and will tie in to whatever they want to do. He acknowledged that there’s going to be competition, but he’s willing to participate in the passing game and block as needed, and really to do whatever is asked of him.

The RB was asked to describe his game, and he noted that he runs hard but he really tries to run past people, and is known for his power.

On his injury recovery

The RB suffered a season-ending tibia fracture in Week 5 that required surgery, but said that he feels really great, and also said he was medically cleared to return.

“I just feel like 17 games is really important to me, and I know in my right mind that being here, being an Eagle — great strength and training staff, great coaches — they all take good care of their players here. So, I’m excited to be here and expect big things.”

Penny has had a pretty long list of injuries since entering the NFL in 2018, but he’s not looking at the past and is focused on getting a refresh in Philly.

“This is big for me. I’m really excited to be here, I’m healthy now, and I’m really ready to go.”

He explained that the injuries weren’t tough for him mentally, however, because he always tries to remain optimistic and positive. Penny reiterated that he’s excited to be with the Eagles, a team that really takes care of their players, but was also sure to note that he’s not saying that to imply that Seattle didn’t.

“This is one of the best opportunities for me to show as a player, and be in a system with a lot of great players and a running back, and compete every day. So, I’m excited for this opportunity.”

The running back admitted that it’s natural to have a chip on his shoulder as a player who has gone through some of the injuries that he has, but he is moving forward and excited about the opportunity he has now. Penny emphasized that one of his priorities this season is playing in all 17 games and making sure that he’s available for the team.