C.J. Prosise can be the Percy Harvin of 2016

Fans of the Seattle Seahawks are no strangers to players that exhibit extreme explosion while demonstrating an inability to stay healthy. The most notable example happens to be Percy Harvin, who the team traded for before the 2013 season. Harvin missed the majority of the regular season and playoffs with a lingering hip injury and concussion issues.

In the middle of that season, Harvin teased us all while playing against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings. After coming off of the PUP list, he lit up the Vikings through the air and in the return game before missing the rest of the regular season with hip inflammation.

We may have a similar situation going on here with one C.J. Prosise.

Prosise, a third round rookie out of Notre Dame, has looked unbelievably explosive so far this season. Against the New England Patriots last week, he totaled 153 yards as a vital Swiss army knife for Seattle’s offense. The converted wide receiver is a natural in both running and receiving.

Sunday’s performance against the Philadelphia Eagles confirmed the collective notion of Prosise’s amazing abilities. On his second carry during the Seahawks’ second drive, C.J. showed us why the Seattle front office was so eager to draft him:

Unfortunately, Prosise can’t stay on the field.

Despite his unbelievably natural electricity on his first career touchdown, the tailback banged up his shoulder shortly afterwards, sidelining him for “a while,” according to Pete Carroll.

This might be a trend, as Prosise missed a good chunk of the first half of this season with a wrist injury sustained early on in Week 1. This inability to stay on the field might explain why the playmaker slid to the third round of the draft.

Do not fret, my friends! My designation of Prosise as the Percy Harvin of 2016 is actually a positive.

In 2013, Harvin showed how he could enhance Seattle’s offense in the short amount of time he was healthy. Prosise has done the same for the Seahawks so far in 2016.

In 2013, Harvin was a non-factor for the majority of the playoffs before exploding on the biggest stage in football and helping catapult Seattle into a Super Bowl victory.

Similarly to 2013, Seattle is in great shape heading towards the postseason. They have a three-game lead in their division and are well on their way to having a first-round bye (which is referenced in Mike Garafolo’s tweet above).

If the Seahawks do indeed earn a first-round bye in the playoffs, Prosise could be reactivated as a secret weapon for the remainder of the postseason, similar to the way Harvin was utilized in early 2014. If Seattle can find a way to advance through the playoff rounds without Prosise, his lack of game film could be a major bonus in a (hypothetical) Super Bowl matchup.

Despite my inherent optimism, I’m not going to state that the Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl this season. Football is saturated with parity, especially in the playoffs. Anybody can defeat anybody. I will say that I have learned not to doubt this franchise. Anything is possible.

Pete Carroll and company are still figuring out how to utilize Prosise while maximizing his longevity. They’ll figure it out. The return of Thomas Rawls to hold down the backfield could not have come at a better time.

No matter the case moving forward, the play that Prosise has put on tape over the last two games should excite Seahawks fans greatly. He’s under club control for the next three and a half years. Get hyped.

I have a strong feeling that Sunday’s game won’t be the last time that Prosise takes the field in 2016. There’s no telling what magnitude of an impact he can have when he gets back. I’m excited to find out if and when he does.