Defensive end Lamar King, a starter for the Seattle Seahawks in each of the last three seasons, will miss most of summer training camp as he continues to rehabilitate his surgically-repaired left knee.

King, 27, underwent the sometimes controversial "microfracture" surgery last December, cutting short his 2002 campaign, and is still months away from getting back on the field. The four-year veteran, a spectator at last weekend's minicamp, may not return until well into the preseason.

The late start to his camp all but assures that King will not vie for a starting job.

Seattle re-signed Antonio Cochran just before the beginning of the unrestricted free-agent period in February, and he is scheduled to move from right end to left end. The Seahawks also signed Chike Okeafor, an unrestricted free agent from the San Francisco 49ers, and he is the new starter at the right end position.

Under new defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes, the Seahawks are revamping a unit that statistically ranked 28th in 2002, was the league's poorest defense against the rush, and totaled only 28 sacks, the fifth fewest in the NFL.

A first-round choice in the 1999 draft, King has finished each of the last three seasons on the injured reserve list. He suffered a dislocated shoulder in 2000, a calf injury in 2001 and the knee injury last year. The injuries have limited him to 20 games, all starts, over the last two seasons.

In four years, King has 109 tackles, nine sacks and nine pass deflections. He has appeared in 49 games and the former Saginaw Valley State standout has started 35 contests.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.