Seahawks running back Chris Carson (32) runs past Titans inside linebacker Avery Williamson (54) in the second half of a game Sept. 24, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/James Kenney)

Seahawks running back Chris Carson (32) runs past Titans inside linebacker Avery Williamson (54) in the second half of a game Sept. 24, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/James Kenney)

Seahawks RB Carson suffers setback in quest to return

The rookie, recovering from an ankle injury suffered Oct. 1, likely won’t play again this season.

RENTON — It appears Mike Davis will be the Seattle Seahawks’ lead running back through at least the end of the regular season.

Health willing, of course.

Coach Pete Carroll said Friday before the team left for Sunday’s game at Jacksonville that rookie Chris Carson, Seattle’s lead back to begin this season until his leg fracture and ankle injury Oct. 1, had a “setback” in rehabilitation this week. That dashes the team’s hopes Carson might return for one of the final two regular-season games that will end this month.

“Chris had a little bit of a setback in his rehab,” Carroll said.

The seventh-round draft choice from Oklahoma State who seized the featured role in the offense with decisive running in August and September has been on injured reserve since Oct. 2. He is coming back from ankle surgery.

“A little bit of an ankle turn, just caught it a little bit,” Carroll said. “So just got to make sure we know what that means as he bounces back from it. We were looking to try to find a time when we could put him back on the practice field, next week or the week after that. We were looking with real optimism.”

But now?

“I don’t know if that’s going to happen after the little setback,” Carroll said.

The coach said the team won’t know more until perhaps “Wednesday or something of next week.”

Davis has taken the lead role in Seattle’s anemic running game since the team promoted him from the practice squad before the loss to Atlanta on Nov. 20. The former San Francisco 49er the Seahawks claimed off waivers in the spring has 82 yards on 22 carries in his new role. He’s surged ahead of relegated Eddie Lacy and mothballed Thomas Rawls.

Quarterback Russell Wilson remains the Seahawks’ leading rusher with 432 yards, almost all of those on scrambles away from defenders on pass plays. Carson’s 208 yards remains second on the team, even though he hasn’t played in more than two months.

Carson became eligible to come off injured reserve last week; teams can bring up to two players off IR to return to play in a season, provided they stay out for at least eight consecutive weeks of the regular season. Earlier this week, Carroll said Carson was “unbelievably” ahead of schedule in his recovery.

Turned out, that was too good to be true.

Carson could return during the playoffs, should the Seahawks (8-4) qualify for the sixth consecutive January.

Seattle currently holds the fifth of six playoff spots in the NFC and is one game out of the West-division lead. The Seahawks could move to as high as third in the NFC and the lead in the West with a win Sunday and a loss by the division-leading Los Angeles Rams at home against Philadelphia the same afternoon. The Seahawks host the Rams next week.

Defensive end Dion Jordan is the only Seahawk whose playing status is in doubt for the Jaguars game Sunday. His neck-stinger issue that’s sidelined him the previous two games got only incrementally better this week. The team lists him as questionable, though Carroll made it sound like Jordan is unlikely to play.

Oday Aboushi’s shoulder injury is going to keep the veteran right guard from playing again this season, Carroll said. Rookie Ethan Pocic will start again at right guard Sunday.

Aboushi, who started eight consecutive games before he got hurt, joins strong safety Kam Chancellor as out for the year. Yet the Seahawks have not put either on injured reserve.

Why? The team is hard up against its salary cap limit and cannot add any more players at this time, even ones with minimum-salary contracts. Players on IR continue to earn their base salary for the season and count against the cap. So IR moves and corresponding ones to add players would mean a net add of two more salaries to Seattle’s payroll.

The Seahawks are essentially operating with 51 available players on the 53-man roster — and 50 for the game at Jacksonville, since rookie defensive tackle Nazair Jones is out with a sprained ankle he got in practice last week. The team is likely waiting for Carson and perhaps running back C.J. Prosise (eligible to come off IR in mid-January following a high-ankle sprain) to return to take either Aboushi’s or Chancellor’s place on the active roster during the would-be playoffs. That would result in no net add to the team’s payroll because the Seahawks are already paying Carson, Prosise, Aboushi and Chancellor.

Bennett nominated for Man of the Year

The social-equality causes that have led to Michael Bennett sitting during national anthems this season are also part of why he is this year’s Seahawks nominee for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

“I am so honored to be this year’s @Seahawks Walter Payton Man of the Year. I’m extremely humbled & thank everyone for their support and help in creating change and a positive impact in our communities! @TMBFoundation #WPMOY,” Bennett posted on his Twitter account.

Bennett’s been to inner cities across our country listening to needs and pushing for better treatment of minorities.

He’s visited the Great Plains to visit Standing Rock in the Sioux tribe’s fight against our government’s plans for the Dakota Access pipeline through its land.

He’s gone to Haiti to help Seahawks teammate and fellow Pro Bowl defensive end Cliff Avril build schools and homes on the impoverished island.

He makes regular Friday visits to the King County Juvenile Youth Services Center in Seattle, which houses the county’s juvenile court, juvenile jail and related services.

His The Bennett Foundation combats obesity and advocates for the advancement of women. Bennett’s foundation partners with iamtheCODE to provide 100 marginalized girls in Africa entrance into STEAMED programs (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, entrepreneurship and design).

The NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award is in honor of the late Chicago Bears Hall of Fame running back. Three nominees from each of the league’s 32 teams will be selected as finalists in late January. The NFL will announce the 2017 winner in Minneapolis on Feb. 3, the night before Super Bowl 52 there.

Beginning with Sunday’s game at Jacksonville, Bennett will wear a will wear a Man of the Year decal on his helmet through the end of the season.

Nominees receive from the NFL and United Way Worldwide a $50,000 donation to their charity of choice plus another $50,000 donation in their names to expand Character Playbook, a digital learning initiative started by the NFL and the United Way.

Extra points

The Jaguars list Jalen Ramsey as questionable to play because of a hamstring injury that kept him out of Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practices and limited him in Friday’s. There’s no way the yappy, second-year star cornerback is going to miss this game. Ramsey is not going to miss this chance to show out — and trash talk — for his upstart team against one of the recent kingpin teams of the NFL. … Carroll said the Seahawks are fired up for the Sounders playing Saturday at Toronto trying to win a second consecutive MLS Cup. Carroll said he’s been showing his players Sounders soccer highlights this week. … The weather forecast for late Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville: Sunny, 53 degrees, zero percent chance of rain, after a stormy Friday into Saturday.

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