The Jaguars have agreed to sign running back Jamaal Charles, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Charles will give Jacksonville another backfield option while star Leonard Fournette recovers from a hamstring ailment. To make room, the club is releasing backup running back Brandon Wilds.
Charles, 32 in December, is admittedly not the player that he once was. The veteran had some brilliant seasons in Kansas City, including a 2010 campaign in which he ran for 1,467 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry, but he has not topped 1,000 yards since his 2014 season with the Chiefs. Injuries and time have slowed Charles, but the Jaguars believe that he has enough juice to help hold down the fort while Fournette is out.
Charles is not necessarily ticketed for a giant workload while Fournette is sidelined – the top job is expected to remain in T.J. Yeldon‘s grasp. Still, Charles has a clear path to playing time for at least one week.
The Jaguars recently lost Corey Grant to a season-ending Lisfranc injury, so the signing of Charles and the release of Wilds leaves the club with just two healthy running backs. It’s likely that another RB will be added to the mix, and it will have to be an outsider as there are no RBs on the Jags’ taxi squad.
A desperation move but considering how ugly things get when Bortles is asked to carry the team on his back, the Jags really don’t have much choice.
Charles is underrated at this point. He’s had a couple of years with injuries which kept him out of play. If he’s kept in shape, he could come back with renewed vigour as the rest of his body is rested (not just the injuries).
Washington didn’t pick up Charles (they took Adrian Peterson instead) at the start of the season when Darius Guice went down. This does suggest Charles is not in great shape, as Charles was with Alex Smith in Kansas City and would have been the natural choice.