DeeJay Dallas has shined throughout Seahawks’ otherwise uninspiring preseason

I don’t really have a lot of deep thoughts about the Seattle Seahawks through two very excruciatingly hard to watch preseason games. The best I can muster up is that this looks to be one of the most top-heavy teams the Seattle Seahawks have ever had under Pete Carroll. Perhaps another way of putting this is that I don’t think roster cuts are going to be particularly difficult this year.

But one man who has stood out this month is running back DeeJay Dallas. Indeed he has Seattle’s only touchdown of the preseason but he has done a little bit of everything in ways that will surely delight Pete Carroll.

Against the Denver Broncos, Dallas didn’t have any carries but did have 3 catches for 27 yards, including one that put Seattle into field goal range for their only points of the game. On special teams he returned a kickoff to midfield and deflected a punt. Apparently it was his first ever punt block, too!

If you are an asset on special teams you may as well have your roster spot written in ink.

As a rookie, Dallas was thrust into an unexpected starting role when Chris Carson, Carlos Hyde, and Travis Homer all went down with injuries midseason. His stats really weren’t impressive but it did feel notable that he had 17 catches in just 146 offensive snaps. We have continued to see his receiving back abilities on display in both preseason games.

I know Tyler sparked a fiery debate about Rashaad Penny and while I don’t agree with his premise, I had written just two months ago that no running back other than Chris Carson was an absolute lock to make the team. I’ve softened that stance a bit as I’d be surprised if Penny was cut, but Dallas at the very least is pushing for a role as a third down back over (the still recovering from injury) Homer, Alex Collins, and Josh Johnson.

There’s no debating Penny as a third down back because he isn’t one. He has just 6 career carries and a single catch in which he lined up as a wide receiver. His liabilities as a pass blocker make him a total non-entity in that role. Dallas is competing really with everyone else and is making the most of his opportunities. He appears to be the most versatile by virtue of his special teams contributions, whereas Collins might be the best pure rusher, and Homer is clearly the best pass blocker (and Dallas was a liability there in a small sample size).

Whether DeeJay’s preseason success will translate into more regular season snaps remains to be seen, but he’s surely secured a place on the 53-man roster already.