Getty Chris Carson is away from the Seahawks training camp as he deals with a family matter.
The Seattle Seahawks are without Chris Carson as they begin their first week of training camp practices. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll revealed that Carson is “back home” dealing with a death in the family, and it is unclear when the running back will report to training camp.
“Chris has got some family stuff going on that he’s had to take care of,” Carroll told The News’ Tribune’s Gregg Bell. “Our hearts go out to Chris. He’s going through some really big stuff with family members that he is looking after and taking care of. He’s fine, and all that. It has nothing to do with Chris (himself), personally, physically or anything. But he has to do this, at this time, right now.”
It is unfortunate news for Carson for a variety of reasons including the fact that the running back has worked hard to get fully healthy in order to return to the football field. Carroll emphasized that Carson has the team’s blessing as he takes time to deal with the tragedy but noted it is unclear how long the team will be without their starting rusher.
“I’m not sure how many more days it’s going to be before he takes care of all of that business,” Carroll added. “But they are trying to figure it all out. It’s back home. …It’s a ways away. So we’ve got some things to work out. And we are in full support of what he’s got to get done.”
According to The News Tribune, Carroll noted that Carson is dealing with a “couple things” related to his family. Once Carson returns to training camp, the running back is likely to have to go through the COVID-19 testing period before being cleared to practice.
Carson Is Expected to be Fully Healthy for the 2020 Season
If there is any positive note underlying Carson’s situation, it is that all indications are the running back is once again fully healthy and expects to physically be ready to play in Week 1. Throughout the offseason, the Seahawks indicated that Carson’s rehab went well and the plan is for him to be able to play when the season starts.
The most recent news is an unexpected tragedy in what has been an otherwise promising offseason for Carson. The running back recently posted a video of himself doing on-field work, and Carson looks to be back in great shape.
“We’re expecting Chris to be ready, yeah,” Seahawks general manager John Schneider told Seattle 950 KJR in May, via Sports Illustrated.
Penny Is Expected to Begin the Season on the PUP List
The Seahawks have already announced Rashaad Penny has been placed on the PUP list. While the team could activate Penny prior to Week 1, all indications are Penny will start the season on the PUP list as he continues to recover from a torn ACL. The running back would be required to miss the first six weeks of the season if he remains on the PUP list.
Carlos Hyde is expected to be leaned on early and could see even more of a workload if Carson’s absence turns out to be for an extended period of time. Carroll praised Hyde’s work so far in training camp, and the Seahawks will likely utilize the longtime 49ers running back behind Carson once he returns to the team.
Carson was recently named to the NFL’s Top 100 Players list and is coming off 1,230 rushing yards and seven touchdowns along with 266 receiving yards and two touchdowns last season. When healthy, the Seahawks running backs has emerged as one of the top rushers in the league.
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