Injured Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor stands on the field before a game against the Falcons on Nov. 20, 2017, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Injured Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor stands on the field before a game against the Falcons on Nov. 20, 2017, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Hawks will have ‘clarity’ soon on futures of Chancellor, Avril

Signs point to the two injured stars not playing again this season, with beyond that in question, too.

RENTON — Kam Chancellor looked like himself. As in, the comfortable, beloved soul of the Seattle Seahawks.

The thumping strong safety called out jokingly to teammates as they walked off the indoor practice field Friday afternoon. He laughed with them, and at them.

If only he was playing. Or merely just practicing.

Signs continue to point to Chancellor and Cliff Avril, his also-injured teammate and Pro Bowl defensive end, not playing again for the Seahawks this season.

Beyond that, who knows?

Their coach says the Pro Bowl veterans’ status for the rest of 2017 because of neck and nerve injuries will be settled soon.

“There will be some clarity, yes,” Pete Carroll said following Friday’s practice for Sunday’s game at San Francisco.

“We are just trying to respect their process, what’s right for them. So we just continue to kind of report (to) you where they are, and we kind of leave it at that.

“There will be some things happen before too long.”

The most obvious option would be to put Chancellor where Avril already is, on injured reserve. That could happen when and if the Seahawks would want to sign another player to the active roster to play in a game — for Sunday’s game that would have to be by 1 p.m. Saturday, per league roster rules.

But Seattle may not be able to add any more contracts without shedding someone else’s; players on IR still get paid per their existing contracts. The team is so up against the NFL salary cap for 2017 it waived future Hall-of-Fame pass-rusher Dwight Freeney and promoted rookie wide receiver David Moore from the practice squad this week, to save a little more than $200,000 over the final six games of the regular season.

Bradley McDougald will start Sunday as Chancellor will miss his second consecutive game since he got hurt late in a win at Arizona Nov. 9 making a tackle on Cardinals running back Andre Ellington. Seattle is also without three-time All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman, who is out for the year following surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon in his right foot.

Avril has been on injured reserve since Oct. 20, and teammates such as fellow end Frank Clark have been scared by Avril’s injury and situation. On Oct. 1 Avril got kicked under the jaw by Indianapolis’ Jacoby Brissett while the Colts quarterback tried to scramble away from Avril’s diving attempt at a tackle. He could by rule return after Seattle’s game at Jacksonville Dec. 10 — up to two players per team per season can return after they’ve been on IR for at least eight weeks.

But the Seahawks seem to be saving at least one if not both of their IR-return moves for running backs Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise. Carroll said last week those two may end up “racing” to return in early January for the playoffs, if the Seahawks (6-4) advance to those for the sixth consecutive season.

Both Avril and Chancellor left the team after their injuries to seek multiple opinions of doctors about their futures.

And both don’t need to play if quality of life is an issue, as it of course can be with any type of neck injuries. Carroll has said their injuries are different, but situations of waiting to see and weighing medical opinions for long-term well-being are the same.

Avril, 31, signed a $28.5 million contract extension in December 2014. He’s seen $20.5 million of that so far, including $4.5 million he is earning for this season. The final year of his deal is 2018, at a non-guaranteed $7 million.

Chancellor, 29, signed his long-sought extension this August. It gave him $25 million guaranteed.

He’d wanted that third contract for more two years, including during his holdout that lasted two games into the 2015 season.

Injuries like the one he now has and sudden career mortality like he may be facing are why.

Joeckel, Brown combo debuts

Though they are each listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, Carroll said the team expects left tackle Duane Brown (ankle) and guard Luke Joeckel to start at San Francisco.

That will be the first time Brown and Joeckel play together on the left side of what’s been an offensive line that needs consistent, experienced performances. Joeckel hasn’t started at left guard since Oct. 1 against Indianapolis. He had knee surgery last month.

He said Friday the last six weeks have felt like forever.

“Luke made it through the whole week. He is ready to go,” Carroll said. “I’m real excited about that for him, too, because it seemed like it had been a long haul for him, waiting to get back out. But he did it.”

Right guard change

Right guard Oday Aboushi is officially out for Sunday. That means rookie Ethan Pocic is likely to move from starting at left guard to right. Mark Glowinski could also start at right guard, but hasn’t since losing his job to Aboushi last month.

Carroll was characteristically coy refusing to answer whether it will be Pocic, the second-round draft choice, or Glowinski at right guard against the 49ers.

“A little suspense,” the coach said, with a grin.

This will be the fifth version of Seattle’s starting offensive line in 11 games.

CB Griffin out

Rookie third-round pick Shaquill Griffin is officially out for San Francisco from a concussion he got this past Monday in the loss to Atlanta.

With Sherman also out, the Seahawks will start Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane at cornerback against the 49ers.

Carroll said Griffin will return next week to prepare to play the Philadelphia Eagles at home on Dec. 3.

RB Davis doubtful

Mike Davis, the surprise new lead running back against Atlanta, is listed as doubtful because of a groin strain. But Carroll said the former 49er waived by San Francisco this spring is “very close. We will see.”

Thomas Rawls is poised to start Sunday.

Shead progresses

Carroll said DeShawn Shead had a great week of rehabilitation and work trying to come back from two knee surgeries (reconstructive in January, clean-up in July).

The coach said again his 2016 starting right cornerback has a chance to return to playing before the end of this season.

“He is making a jump. We are excited about this,” Carroll said. “This next week coming up will be a change for him. He is getting closer and he has kind of made it. This has kind of been a threshold for him this week. … I’m excited for him. He has been busting his butt for so long to get this back.

“It doesn’t mean he jumps right back on the field, but he takes a big step next week to get closer to doing that. So he has a chance, hopefully, before the end of the season, to get back.”

Extra points

Tight end Jimmy Graham (ankle) and All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner (hamstring) are listed as questionable. But Carroll said Graham will play and all but said Wagner will, too, saying his middle linebacker has “a great chance” to start yet again. … Forecasters say there is a 90-percent chance of rain in Santa Clara for Sunday’s game, a game more fitting for Seattle than San Francisco. That should make the always-iffy grass field at Levi’s Stadium even more challenging.

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