The Kansas City Chiefs are now 1-4 after an 18-17 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. With 9:16 left in the third quarter, running back Jamaal Charles left the game with a knee injury. Charles sustained a torn ACL and will be out for the season. This is his second ACL tear in the last five seasons. Who will take Charles’ place in the backfield?
Jamaal Charles is in his eighth NFL season, all with the Kansas City Chiefs. Charles was off to a respectable start to the season. He rushed for 364 yards and 4 touchdowns. His average yards per rush was an impressive 5.1. Charles also added 21 receptions for 30 yards and 1 touchdown.
In his career he has rushed for 7,220 yards and 42 touchdowns. Charles is also a threat when the football is passed to him. He has 283 receptions for 2,443 yards and 20 touchdowns. The Kansas City Chiefs are going to miss his production because he is always a threat to gain a lot of yards either on the ground or on pass plays.
The Chiefs have a few running backs on this roster who can replace Charles. Those are Knile Davis and Charcandrick West. Davis is not Jamaal Charles, but is a decent backup. He has 732 rushing yards and 234 receiving yards in his young career. Davis is a speedy back who can make defenders miss tackles and gain yards.
Charcandrick West is in his second NFL season. Last year he didn’t touch the ball on offense. This season he has 12 rushing attempts for 48 yards. West ‘s average per rush is 4.0 yards.
The Chiefs could also look into free agents. These include Ray Rice and Pierre Thomas. Ray Rice hasn’t played a down in the NFL since the 2013 season. That year he ran for 660 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Kansas City is planning on working out Pierre Thomas this week. Thomas is a veteran running back who spent eight years in New Orleans. He has never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season but is a versatile running back. Thomas can rush the ball near the goal line as he has 28 touchdowns in his career. He can also catch passes in the open field. If the Chiefs really want to replace Charles there isn’t a better running back than Pierre Thomas. He may not have the stats of Charles but can be productive in the Kansas City offense.
Who should replace Jamaal Charles?
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