The Denver Broncos have been waiting for nearly three months to find out what they got when they signed Jamaal Charles to a one-year contract worth up to $2.5 million based on performance incentives. Charles, too, has been waiting – waiting to get back on the field and simply play a game he’s played his whole life.
“I don’t try to do too much. I try not to put pressure on me,” the four-time Pro Bowler told the media Tuesday when asked if there’s any extra pressure heading into Saturday’s preseason contest with Green Bay.
“I’ve been playing football going on 10 years and I’ve been playing football since high school and Pop Warner. Just go out there and have fun, that’s the most exciting thing. Go out there and just have fun and let it come to you,” Charles said.
It will be the first time since Oct. 2013, 2016 that Charles has played in a live game. The 30-year-old missed a combined 24 games over the past two years with injuries to his right knee.
It will also be a make-or-break audition to earn his spot on the Broncos’ roster.
Denver has really just one running back spot available – assuming they keep four on the roster – behind C.J. Anderson, Devontae Booker and rookie De’Angelo Henderson, who has impressed throughout camp and the preseason.
Charles is trying to pry that last spot away from Juwan Thompson, who has bounced back and forth on the Broncos’ active roster and practice squad since 2014, and veteran Stevan Ridley, who has been bouncing around the league battling for roster spots and playing time himself since a torn ACL in 2014.
The game carries big implications for Charles, but he’s not putting too much pressure on himself as it approaches.
“It’s just another game,” he said, “but I’m just excited to be able to put on a Broncos uniform and play in front of the fans this weekend. I’m just excited.”
Charles grew up a fan of the Denver Broncos, but spent the first nine years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs – one of Denver’s biggest rivals. While in Kansas City, Charles rushed for 7,260 yards and a 5.5 yards-per-carry average, which ranks fourth on the NFL’s all-time list. His reputation as one of the league’s most productive backs has now collided with the reality of his age and his injuries over the past two seasons. Saturday’s game offers a chance to prove that he can still provide some punch in an NFL offense.
“Every time I step on the field, it’s an opportunity to show people what I can do for me in the present and now in the future. It’s the same thing,” Charles said Tuesday.
He says that referring to the ‘old Jamaal Charles’ – the one before the two knee surgeries – is a bit of a misnomer.
“I’ve always been Jamaal – Jamaal never went anywhere. I’m just on a different team now and I’m able to just go out there and play with my teammates and have fun.”
He’s also cast aside any worry about his knee, instead choosing to trust that whatever happens was meant to happen, good or bad.
“I’m not even worrying about it. If it happens again, it happens,” he said when asked if he thinks about his previous injuries. “As I always believe, if it’s supposed to happen, it’s going to happen. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be and right now I’m just going out there and playing freely.”
Charles has slowly but surely been testing out his knee, and is now playing without a brace. He’ll take the field Saturday to test not only his knee, but to test that he can still be a great NFL running back.
“I’ve been testing it. I’ve been testing it since I’ve been doing walk throughs, I’ve been doing it since I’ve been doing off season working out without a brace. I tested it today, every day is a test when you come out here. Every day is a time to get that knee in shape and the time to get your whole body in shape. It’s just time to get great in everything you do.”
The Broncos and Packers kick off on Saturday at 7 p.m. MDT from Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
