Pete Carroll Provides Gloomy Update on Chris Carson's Return From Neck Issue

While Seattle isn't ready to rule out Carson and hopes to get him back at some point, Carroll's comments suggest the team understands the nature of his injury could potentially prevent him from playing again this year.

Gearing up for Sunday's Week 8 matchup against the Jaguars, the vast majority of injury updates provided by Seahawks coach Pete Carroll were positive ones, as all three players listed as questionable look to be in good shape to suit up on Sunday.

However, as has been the case for the past several weeks, Carroll didn't have any good news on starting running back Chris Carson's recovery from an undisclosed neck issue. He's currently on injured reserve and though he's eligible to be activated after the upcoming Week 9 bye, the coach's response when asked for a status report didn't sound optimistic on that front.

"No updates about him coming back any time that we can predict it at this moment," Carroll told reporters. "So we just gotta wait it out."

Carson, who re-signed with Seattle on a two-year deal in March, has been sidelined since Week 5 when Carroll indicated he was dealing with a "long-term" neck injury that has bothered him on and off for some time. At that stage, the team held out hope he would only miss one game and could be back in action against Pittsburgh in Week 6.

But Carson didn't practice at all leading up to the game and ultimately, the Seahawks placed both him and quarterback Russell Wilson on injured reserve, ensuring they would miss the next three games minimum. While Carroll said Wilson is ahead of schedule in his return from finger surgery, he didn't rule out the possibility his starting running back might not be able to make it back anytime soon, putting his season in jeopardy.

"He's gotta make a turn here to show us he's feeling better and good enough to go for it," Carroll said. "He hasn't been able to come out to practice yet and go. Pretty soon, you're gonna say 'is he gonna make it back?' and I'm not ready to do that yet. But really keeping my fingers crossed for him that he gets to come back and play."

According to Carroll, Carson has been working out at the facility and staying in shape. But lifting weights and running aren't the same as taking hits from NFL defenders and due to lingering discomfort in his neck, the fifth-year runner isn't ready to return to the practice field for the Seahawks yet.

Injuries have been a persistent issue for Carson throughout his NFL career, starting with a fractured ankle that cost him 12 games as a rookie in 2017. While he was relatively healthy in 2018 and 2019 starting all but three games and producing back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, he fractured his hip late in the 2019 season and missed the postseason. Then last season, a foot sprain cost him four games as his production dwindled to 681 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

Based on Carroll's comments, although Seattle remains hopeful he will play again, the team clearly has concerns about Carson returning this year. And given the nature of his injury, the verbiage about it being a long-term problem, and the fact he plays a position already known for short shelf lives, it's worth wondering what that may mean for his chances of playing again moving forward.

If there's a sliver of good news, Carroll told Steve Raible on KIRO Radio on Friday morning that Carson's injury isn't similar to the one that forced former Seahawks standouts Cliff Avril and Kam Chancellor to retire.

For now, the Seahawks will rely on veterans Alex Collins and Rashaad Penny to shoulder most of the load in the backfield until Carson returns, if he comes back at all this season. Behind them, DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer will continue to see reps rotating in as third down backs while also playing significant snaps on special teams.

Considering the ominous status report on Carson and the uncertainty in regard to his injury, all four of those backs could be auditioning for an extended role out of Seattle's backfield beyond 2021 for the remainder of the schedule. If the team does think he will miss an extended time beyond its bye week, another back could be brought into the fold as well.