Back in 2017 when the seventh round was winding down, Carroll wasn’t sure if Carson would end up in Seattle, but was thrilled when that happened.
“I was hanging on Chris Carson,” Carroll said after that draft. “… I really love this guy because he is so physical and tough the way he ran. You haven’t heard a whole lot about him, he hasn’t run the ball a lot, but when he did, he made a great statement of his style and a style we really covet. I fell in love with how tough he is and how aggressive he is.”
That toughness and aggressiveness carried over at the NFL level, leading to Carson winning the starting job as a rookie, only to suffer a season-ending leg injury four games into the season.
Carson bounced back from that injury in a big way in 2018, rushing for 1,151 yards and nine touchdowns, making him Seattle’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Marshawn Lynch four years earlier. In 2019, Carson became the sixth player in team history to post consecutive 1,000-yard seasons when he ran for 1,230 yards and seven touchdowns. A more pass-happy offense in 2020 limited Carson to 681 yards, but he averaged a career-best 4.8 yards per carry and scored nine total touchdowns, matching a career high.
Former Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright described Carson as, “a guy who really sets the tone for this team. Ever since Marshawn left, it feels good to have somebody back there with that style that can run in between the tackles, catch the ball out of the backfield, get those short third-and-1s, keep those drives moving. He’s a heck of a football player… When the guy’s running over DBs, it definitely gets you hyped. I love playing with him, he’s a heck of teammate, just comes to work, puts his head down and just gets 1,000 yards.”
Said Carroll last month, “He’s been one of my favorite Seahawks ever. I loved what he stood for and what he brought… He’s a very special player and a very special competitor and person.”
