Former Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles will visit the Denver Broncos on Tuesday, according to multiple reports. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who first reported the news, added that the Broncos are “enthused” about the visit. Schefter also called it a “good fit for both sides.” The Broncos have several reasons to be “enthused” about the visit.
Denver is looking to add more punch to its running game after finishing the 2016 season averaging just 92.8 yards per game, good for 27th in the league. Denver’s 4.8 rushing first downs per game also had them ranked 27th in the league.
John Elway has reinforced the offensive line with free agent acquisitions Ronald Leary (G) and Menelik Watson (OT), and grabbed University of Utah tackle Garett Bolles with the team’s first pick in the 2017 Draft (No. 20 overall).
With the line taking shape, Elway has also taken steps to upgrade the backfield. On Saturday he sent former CSU Ram and perennial practice squad player Kapri Bibbs and a 2017 draft pick to San Francisco for a 2018 pick. Bibbs finally started to break through in 2016 before a leg injury ended his season in December.
In the draft, Elway grabbed Coastal Carolina’s touchdown machine, De’Angelo Henderson, in the sixth round. The strong, speedy back has great measurables and a nose for the end zone. Denver landed a contributor at running back last year in the fourth round in Devontae Booker, but with C.J. Anderson‘s midseason injury the load proved to be a bit much for Booker alone – especially after Bibbs went down. Henderson could be a factor this year, but it seems the Broncos don’t want to leave anything to chance.
Following Bibbs’ injury, Denver claimed Justin Forsett off waivers. The 31-year-old Forsett is now a free agent, but the Charles visit seems to indicate that Denver is looking for a veteran with higher upside to come in and push the running back corps.
Charles is available after the Chiefs released him in February, following nine seasons and four Pro Bowls. He was placed on injured reserve in November 2016 having played in just three games. An ACL injury from the 2015 season led to further repair on his meniscus and the end of his time in Kansas City.
The four Pro Bowls and Charles’ three All-Pro nominations (two first-team) are just the beginning of his impressive résumé. He led the NFL in touchdowns in 2013 and boasts a career total of 9,717 yards and 63 touchdowns from scrimmage. For six of his nine years, he’s been one of (if not the) most productive backs in the league. The other three have been hampered by injury. Charles has bounced back once already from an ACL tear, going on to earn second-team All-Pro honors in 2012, so a successful return from injury isn’t new territory.
Charles, if healthy, would immediately mean competition for C.J. Anderson. Denver invested heavily in Anderson during the 2016 offseason, matching a RFA offer from Miami to keep him in orange and blue. Anderson has been up-and-down throughout his career. He earned a Pro Bowl nomination in 2014 and providing most of Denver’s limited offensive production during the 2015 playoff run and victory in Super Bowl 50, but has yet to put together a complete 16-game season – whether because of health or self-admitted effort. But Anderson has also been a guy who’s shined most when he had something to prove. As an undrafted college free agent, he fought hard to make the roster. When he wasn’t getting playing time, he turned out a Pro Bowl season. After a lackluster start to 2015, he turned it on late to help deliver a world title. 2016 was a down year for Anderson, and having Charles on the roster as competition could mean a bounceback year for Anderson.
At age 30, and having missed 41 career games to injury, Charles shouldn’t cost the Broncos an arm and a leg. He won’t be the bargain that Forsett was last year (Denver paid $208,235 of his $885,000 2016 contract), but he shouldn’t be as expensive as, say, Adrian Peterson. Denver has some money to spend still in free agency, so they can be competitive against other suitors without having to break the bank.
Most importantly, Charles appears to be returning to form after missing the bulk of the last two seasons. He’s posting video to social media in a series titled “The Return” and by the looks of it he’s as healthy as ever. The first video, posted April 14, shows him working on a number of speed and agility drills that show he’s still got those quick feet that made him the NFL rushing touchdown king in 2013.
Get ready… #GiveGodTheGlory pic.twitter.com/PUSlwIAkR4
— Jamaal Charles (@jamaalcharles) April 14, 2017
Last but not least, Charles has some new motivation in his life. Isaiah Jamaal Charles, his first son, was born March 11, 2017. (Charles already has two daughters.) What better story would there be than to say that Dad made his triumphant return to being one of the NFL’s best running backs, for an old division rival no less, the year that you were born?
https://twitter.com/jcharles25/status/851531432853991424