Is Kam Chancellor done in Seattle after this season?

Safety Kam Chancellor is out again this week. As well as the defense has been without him, The former All-Pro might become expendable.

Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor is out again for this week’s game. His groin injury is “substantial” according to Pete Carroll. That makes it sound like he won’t be playing anytime soon.

Of course, Pete didn’t call the injury “legit.” if that was the case, than we’d know that Kam would be headed to injured reserve soon. We’re still still trying to accurately translate “substantial” from Pete-talk into English.

If the injury is as bad as it now sounds, Chancellor’s season could be over. In that case, his time in a Seattle uniform could be over as well.

Kam will miss this third game of this young season. He also missed four games a year ago: two with his “contract injury” and 2 more with a bruised tailbone.

The Pete Carroll-era Seahawks have shown a willingness to move on from players who cannot stay healthy. It doesn’t matter good they are. If you need an example, just look at Max Unger.

Chancellor’s plight isn’t helped by the quality of his backup either. Kelcie McCray will make his third-straight start in Chancellor’s place at strong safety. For all of Chancellor’s talent and skill, it is tough to make the case that the Seahawks have missed him.

Last week, McCray and the Seahawks put together a historically-great performance on the road in Arizona. Despite being on the field for the ninth-most amount of time in NFL history, they only gave up 6 points.

McCray is a completely different style of player than Kam. He’s smaller, and not nearly as intimidating of a tackle. You’ll never see Kelcie pancake an offensive lineman like Kam Chancellor has.

McCray is also faster and significantly better in coverage. He’s also more versatile. McCray’s presence has allowed the Seahawks to unleash Earl Thomas, getting the most out of their All-Pro free safety. As the NFL continues to adapt to today’s passing era, guys who can cover are are move valuable than guy who are good against the run.

And then there is the issue of cost. The Seahawks season hangs on if their terrible O-line can figure out how to block. That wouldn’t have been an issue if they’d had the money to spend on better talent up front.

If the Seahawks move on from Chancellor, they’d have the cap space necessary to invest in the offensive line. The longer it takes the line to become competent, the more likely a change in priorities happens in the offseason.

Next: Bennett out for Saints game, perhaps longer

None of this is to say that Kam is definitely gone. For all we know, he’ll be ready to play in a week and all of this will be forgotten. But with every day this injury lingers, the chances grow that Chancellor won’t be in Seattle next season.