RENTON, Wash. -- The Seattle Seahawks expect to be without starting left guard Luke Joeckel for at least another month, coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday.
It's a longer timetable than what was initially assumed after Carroll said last week that Joeckel was having an arthroscopic procedure on his knee with the Seahawks on their bye. Carroll said at the time that Joeckel would likely miss Seattle's Week 7 game against the New York Giants, but his recovery will keep him out much longer than that.
"We're going to be optimistic that maybe he can make it back in four or five weeks and we'll see what happens," Carroll said Tuesday. "Maybe that's possible and maybe that isn't. We've got to see how he heals and comes back around. He definitely needed to get some things cleaned up and that was taken care of and everything went beautifully, so he's very optimistic as well. So we need to see what happens here. Really, we won't be able to know probably for three weeks anyway to know where he is."
Carroll was asked if the Seahawks will need to bring in outside help for their offensive line, as free-agent left tackle Branden Albert worked out for the team last week but the two sides didn't come to an agreement.
"We're always looking," Carroll said. "That's probably what you saw last week."
Offensive line coach Tom Cable said both Mark Glowinski and rookie Ethan Pocic will play Sunday against the Giants at MetLife Stadium
Glowinski, a 2015 fourth-round pick, was Seattle's starter at that spot all of last season. The team moved him to right guard over the offseason, but he was replaced in the starting lineup after two games by veteran Oday Aboushi.
Pocic, a second-round pick known for his versatility, worked at right tackle over the summer but has been a backup at guard and center since.
"I think we're very fortunate to have Glow in that competition because of his background," Carroll said. "He's started and he's played a lot of football for us and he knows our system, he's been on that side (of the offensive line), all of that stuff. So that's a positive. But also, we're so encouraged by Ethan's play that we want to give him a chance to see how far he can take it in the coming weeks here and see what it means.
"This week may not be the indication of what happens over the next few weeks. We're going to start the competition and let these guys go at it. Both guys are athletic, both guys move equally well and can do everything we need. It's just going to be how they fit in, their ability to handle the challenges of the scheme and the calls and all that."
The Seahawks signed Joeckel, the second overall pick in 2013 by the Jacksonville Jaguars, to a one-year deal in free agency that includes $7 million in guarantees. His recent procedure was to address a lingering issue that stemmed from the major knee injury he suffered last October, which required an ACL reconstruction, an MCL repair and a lateral meniscus repair.
Joeckel hadn't missed an offensive snap this season over Seattle's first five games, but Carroll said it was taking him a while to recover from each game.
"It got to the point where it wasn't getting any better and we needed to do something for the long haul," Carroll said. "So we'll get him back to finish the season. I'm not sure when that will happen, but when he comes back, he shouldn't be restricted in any way either. He should be fine."
Carroll said defensive end Michael Bennett, who is dealing with a plantar fascia foot injury, took part in the team's walk-through Tuesday and will likely practice Wednesday.
"He's going to work a little bit. He feels like he's going to be able to play, but he's going to need all these days to keep healing," Carroll said. "Good signs today, though."
Carroll had no update on the timetable for Seattle's other starting defensive end, Cliff Avril, who's out indefinitely with a neck/spine injury he suffered in Week 4. Carroll said Avril is continuing to see specialists and that the team may know more over the next few days.
Running back C.J. Prosise is expected back this week after missing the past two games with an ankle injury, Carroll said.