A few months ago, Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry was named Comeback Player of the Year after overcoming Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He would return to have one of the best seasons in his career in 2015. Hailed by many as the top safety in the NFL, Berry was elected to his fourth Pro Bowl. He also helped the Chiefs win their first playoff game in over two decades in January. Another Chiefs player could follow in Berry’s footsteps; despite the emergence of Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware, it’s reasonable to make a case for running back Jamaal Charles as Comeback Player of the Year in 2016.
Jamaal Charles Has Comeback Player of the Year Potential
Charles tore his right ACL against the Chicago Bears on October 11th, 2015, causing him to miss the rest of the season. When Charles went down, he was ranked fifth in yards from scrimmage with 541. His 5.5 yards per carry average over the course of his career is the highest among all running backs in NFL history. The Chiefs replaced Charles with West and Ware, who combined for 1,037 rushing yards. Charles’ absence, however, was felt, including his versatility and tremendous playmaking abilities in the open field.
Charles has been in this position before and bounced back successfully. He tore his left ACL in Week 2 of the 2011 season. In 2012, he ran for a career-high 1,509 yards and managed 5.3 yards per attempt.
Age Is Just A Number
It’s easy to point to Charles’ age and say he doesn’t have that much left in the tank. He turns 30 on December 27th, an age in which NFL running backs generally see a significant drop in production. This season, Charles should be less of an in-between-the-tackles guy, not only because of his age, but because he is coming off of a major injury as well. West and Ware should serve as the bruising duo the Chiefs need in order to maintain a physical attack.
With that said, Charles’ production should stay respectable given his skill set and how much the Chiefs rely on the run game. With three effective backs, the Chiefs should be inclined to run the ball more than in previous years. Charles will still get his fair share of touches. While the percentage of rushing yards by the Chiefs attributed to Charles should drop significantly, his drop in number of carries should be hardly noticeable. Assuming he is handed the ball 10-15 times per game and averages five yards per carry (which is much lower than his career average), he should eclipse 800 yards, if not more.
Multiple Threat Back
While Charles likely won’t run for more than 1,000 yards, expect him to win Comeback Player of the Year honors. If he does it will be based not only on his talent as a runner but also his knack for catching balls out of the backfield. With his injury, as well as West and Ware getting more work up the middle, it would make sense for the Chiefs to throw a lot of screen passes to Charles early in the season, allowing him to use his quickness in space and avoid contact if he needs to. Charles’ game has proven to be multifaceted throughout his career, especially when he was the Chiefs leading receiver in 2013 with 693 yards receiving and seven touchdown receptions. The Chiefs would be wise to utilize this aspect of his game in 2016.
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