The general consensus on Eddie Lacy seems to be that he's an out-of-shape, injury-prone, ineffective plodder with little chance of success. And yes, the Seattle Seahawks' signing Lacy to a one-year contract worth up to $5.55 million comes with its share of risk, but the reality is that the concerns about Lacy are overstated and the narratives surrounding him mostly inaccurate.
Let's start with the "injury-prone" label.
This is something that latched on to Lacy during the draft process, disappeared for a while, and is now back. Granted, he has been beat up often, but so have most -- if not all -- backs who have near the 788 carries he has accrued in four seasons. What's important to keep in mind here is that Lacy missed a grand total of two regular-season games during his first three NFL seasons. He was limited with ankle and rib injuries, but missed only Week 10 (groin) in 2015. He dealt with eye, hip, head and knee injuries in 2014, but didn't miss a game. And as a rookie, he suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason and tweaked his ankle late in the year, but missed only Week 3 (concussion). Entering his rookie season, teams were reportedly worried about an injury history that included a toe and hamstring ailments.
But again: He missed just two games in his pro career prior to a brutal ankle injury last season that required wires, screws and a plate. Oh, and he racked up 18 touches on that injured ankle against Dallas prior to sitting out the rest of the 2016 season. This guy is tough.
And that leads me to the "overweight" narrative. There's no doubt Lacy has struggled with his weight, but has it negatively affected his play?
