Arizona Cardinals: The potential of Elijhaa Penny
Elijhaa Penny has the skills to make it in the NFL, 2017 could just be his chance to prove it
Running back Elijhaa Penny has yet to play a regular season game for the Arizona Cardinals. He is built physically to perform in the NFL, and has the ability to produce. Unfortunately he never got that chance to perform, thanks to a hand full of running backs on the roster and of course because of a guy named David Johnson.
Penny was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Idaho in 2016. Where he excelled in his senior season. He compiled 1159 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Some of his best attributes that pointed to an NFL future was his physical stature. Penny is listed at 6-2 and 247 pounds.
Something interesting is out of all the running backs on the Cardinals roster, Elijhaa Penny is the one that closely resembles star David Johnson, and he was on the Practice Squad all season. He is big, powerful, has great vison and speed, all attributes Johnson flashes. In the final game of the pre season against the Denver Broncos, Penny flashed and showed his full potential. Piling up 113 yards, a touchdown and a 2 point conversion.
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He showed strength, breaking arm tackles. Consistently running the ball effectively and making pushes up the field. Penny was kept around after his performance, being placed on the practice squad throughout the season.
In his final press conference of 2016, head coach Bruce Arians praised the young running back and his potential.
“That’s another one I can’t wait to see, because he became a pretty good special teams player and could fill a role as a big back,” Arians said. “He’s got good hands. He’s done a great job on our scout team all year, so he’s got a real good future.”
Heading into the off-season with Andre Ellington, Chris Johnson, and Stefan Taylor all about to hit free agency. The Cardinals need to look for a back up to David Johnson, and 2017 could be the chance for Penny to earn that position and see himself on the roster come week 1.