Seahawks Sign RB Chris Henry

Yesterday I was trying to figure out who the Seahawks might sign/draft to provide some depth at RB in the case that Leon Washington signs elsewhere.  Well, I may have my answer.  Henry, a 2nd rd (50th overall) pick out of Arizona in 2007, spent most of the season last year on the Seahawks practice squad.

He was drafted so high in 2007 mainly because he showed impressive athleticism at the Combine (which he was barely invited to in the first place, after an innocuous college career, only rushing 255 times for 859 yards and 8 TDs in his 3 year stint there).  At 6'0, 230, He ran the 40 in 4.4 seconds, which tied him for first in the running backs group, and finished in the top 5 in almost every category: 4.14 short shuttle (3rd), a 11.51 long shuttle (2nd), a 6.96 three cone (5th), a 10′7″ broad jump (1st -T).  He's got good quickness, evidenced by his 10 yrd split of 1.51 sec during his 40, second for all running backs and better than that one guy Adrian Peterson.



This impressive performance created a lot of buzz for the Arizona product, and he ended up being picked in the early 2nd round by the Tennesee Titans.  In his rookie campaign, he rushed for 119 yrds and 2 TDs on 31 carries, but then played in just one game in 2008, and just 3 in 2009.  He was buried in the depth chart behind Chris Johnson and LenDale White though, and he was waived during the '09 season.  He was picked up by the Texans for their practice squad to finish the year.

At the beginning of the 2010 season, though, while at camp with the Houston Texans, he was creating some buzz again by challenging for a roster spot.  Houston's coach, Gary Kubiak, when asked who he was excited about watching in their first preseason matchup, picked out Henry:

I'm excited to see Chris Henry. Obviously, he's had a good camp. I'm excited to see him. We've got to orchestrate the running back situation because there is no way you could play five, but he's definitely going to play in this game.  I just like his strength and motor, he could go all day. He's a well-conditioned and very physical player. I expect him to show up on special teams recovering kicks and those types of things for (special teams coach) Joe (Marciano).

I just like the way he's worked. He has a great opportunity on this team to get out there and play. I'm interested to see how he'll play for Joe, too. He'll be very involved in special teams.

Unfortunately for Henry, he was weeded out of the final 53 before the beginning of the season.  He was playing behind the likes of Arian Foster (NFL Rushing Champion in '10), and Steve Slaton, a proven veteran.  At that point, the Hawks added him to their practice squad and he's been with the team since.  He has learned from his time on practice squads, and is still focused.  It appears he's matured and knows what he has to do to catch on with a team:

I didn't start my career practicing as well as I do now. It's something that's developed. I believe if I want to get better, I have to practice hard.

If Leon Washington does decide to take his game to a place where he'll get more offensive touches, which in my mind is pretty likely, the Hawks will need some depth at RB.  Chris Henry, though raw, has tremendous athleticism and potential (still only 25, with next to no miles on him), and given some time, could be a good 3rd RB for them this year.  The fact that Carroll and Schneider have re-signed him tells us that he has the potential to improve and they see some sort of upside with him.  Everyone knows you can't really teach the ability to run a 4.38 40 when you weigh 230 lbs.  The Hawks' coaching staff can, however, help him to improve as a NFL running back.  He's got the physical ability, let's see if he can become a player.  It will be another interesting storyline to follow this fall.