That is right. I am saying that Jamaal Charles will be a beast in the next NFL season. One major concern with Charles is usually his health status, as he does have a hard time staying healthy and will be coming back from a second ACL tear. On top of the fact that he will be coming back from a second ACL tear, he will also turn 30 years old near the end of next season. As most NFL fans know, once a running back turns 30 he usually digresses, except for a handful of backs in the history of the league. Be prepared to watch out for Charles in the 2016 season and here is why.
Jamaal Charles Will Have a Great 2016 Season
The Chiefs found an effective power back in Ware due to the Charles injury. In 2015 Ware averaged 5.6 yards per carry in the ten games that he played, which coincidentally occurred during the 10-game regular season winning streak that the Chiefs were on. Charcandrick West started out pretty hot after a rough Vikings game but when West had an injury during the San Diego game, Ware came in to play and took over for the Chiefs as a solid back who could wear down defenses with his running style.
The Chiefs have also found a true number one receiver in Jeremy Maclin. Not only did he become the first 1,000-yard receiver Alex Smith has ever had, he was also very comfortable in an Andy Reid West Coast offense style. The only thing that needed to happen was for Smith and Maclin to be comfortable with each other and for Smith to trust that Maclin will be able to get separation and make the catch. The first two seasons that Alex Smith had been in Kansas City, his number one target was Dwayne Bowe. Even the Cleveland Browns didn’t want to use Bowe much this year.
Chris Conley and Albert Wilson are also solid contributors, as they are combined because they seem to alternate between the number 2 and number 3 guys. Conley will more than likely start to take over the number 2 spot from Albert Wilson slowly. Wilson is more of a slot type receiver who is not quite at the caliber to take over for Maclin whenever he is injured and that proved very obvious during the AFC Divisional Game. Wilson had some great plays and catches but he would do better with a number 1 and number 2 receiver taking the pressure off of him. Between these two guys and Maclin, the Chiefs have some dangerous weapons at receiver.
Alex Smith, Captain Checkdown himself, could help Charles become an even more dangerous back in 2016. This will be the case if Reid let’s Smith run every now and then like he did this year. Smith helped the running game a lot this year and would really help run the option play. I am not saying that Smith should run the ball like Cam or Russell Wilson but Smith can scramble and easily pick up some yards with his feet when necessary. If teams are forced to not only focus on the running back possibly getting the ball but also the quarterback keeping the ball and taking off down the field as well it really can open up the offense to be very dangerous.
These five players all could lead to Charles having one of the best seasons of his career so far. I also failed to mention that the last time Charles tore his ACL he rushed for over 1,500 yards and that was on a 2-14 team. He might have been younger at that time period but he still is one of the most elusive backs in the NFL. With a decent line blocking in front of him and all of the players listed above playing to their potential Charles will be a beast in 2016.
KANSAS CITY, MO – SEPTEMBER 29: Jamaal Charles #25 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs the ball against the New England Patriots defense during the first quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on September 29, 2014 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
