Seahawks uncertain on RB Chris Carson’s availability

Carson’s early-season injury changed the team’s plans. The neck issue he encountered in October lingered for weeks and eventually prompted the five-year veteran to undergo surgery. The Seahawks have since re-signed Penny after he delivered the best stretch of his career to finish last season and drafted Kenneth Walker in the second round of April's draft. Carson’s contract runs through 2022, but the Seahawks are not yet sure when he will be ready to return.

“We don’t have updates yet on Chris and we won’t know for some time, so there’s a little bit of uncertainty that we’re waiting on,” Pete Carroll said recently, via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson.

Usually optimistic on his injured players, Carroll providing this assessment is a cause for concern. The Seahawks have seen multiple key contributors, such as Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril, suffer career-ending neck injuries in recent years. It is not certain that is where Carson is headed, but the team using a No. 41 overall pick on a running back points to a new-look backfield. With Carson and Penny’s injury histories, Walker could have a shot to contribute early.

Carson, who had bounced back from a broken leg to be the Seahawks’ starter from 2018-20 and to begin last season, missed 13 games last year because of his neck problem. The two-time 1,000-yard rusher collected $5.5M fully guaranteed as part of his two-year, $10.4M deal. He is due a $4.5M base salary this season.