Seattle Seahawks nose tackle Brandon Mebane, who coach Pete Carroll said was having the best season of his career, is out for the season with a hamstring injury.
The team placed Mebane on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday and signedtight end RaShaun Allen from the Vikings' practice squad to fill his roster spot.
Mebane suffered a torn hamstring suffered in Sunday's game against the New York Giants.
Mebane is deciding whether to have surgery, sources told ESPN's John Clayton. Without surgery, the recovery period would be a minimum of eight weeks.
Mebane arguably was the best player on the Seahawks' defense this season with his play at the line of scrimmage, usually taking on two blockers and being a major factor in Seattle ranking fourth in rush defense, allowing only 79.8 yards per game.
Mebane, 29, is the longest-tenured member of the Seahawks in his ninth season out of California. Carroll said Monday that Mebane had a significant hamstring injury and would be out "a while" but didn't say how long.
The Seahawks likely will place Mebane on injured reserve and bring in another defensive tackle. Sources confirmed they worked out defensive tackle Michael Brooks on Tuesday. Brooks was with the team in training camp but was waived Aug. 26.
Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman was one of several teammates who said Mebane was having a Pro Bowl-type season. The Seahawks have two other veteran defensive tackles in Kevin Williams and Tony McDaniel, along with second-year player Jordan Hill, to fill in while Mebane is out.
"We'll have to see how things go," Carroll said Monday. "Kevin will play a lot more in that spot. Kevin, Tony and Jordan all are good football players and we'll see how it fits, but there's nobody like Mebane. He's a very unique player and I think is having his best season since we've been here. That's a big hit to take, but we'll expect our guys to go in and play good football."