Philadelphia Eagles: Could Jamaal Charles replace Darren Sproles?

With Darren Sproles set to retire after the 2017 season, could Jamaal Charles fill his shoes as the Philadelphia Eagles third down back in 2018?

Jamaal Charles probably wishes he’d have waited it out and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles before the 2017 NFL season right about now.

After being unceremoniously released by the Kansas City Chiefs early in the offseason, the 31-year-old former Pro Bowler receive very little interest on the open market, with teams questioning how much tread was left on his tires, and instead opting to focus on adding a younger running back in the 2017 NFL Draft.

While many fans assumed that a reunion would be in order between Charles and his former offensive coordinator Doug Pederson was on the way, it just never came to be.

The team still had $4 million locked up in Ryan Mathews, a running back who was still too injured to be released following a 2016 neck injury, and they had their eyes set on a promising young running back in the draft by the name of Dalvin Cook, who the Minnesota Vikings jumped them to select at the top of the second round.

But unfortunately for the Eagles, when Mathews was finally healthy enough to be released, Charles was no longer on the market.

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Mere weeks earlier, Charles signed a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos to join a crowded backfield with lead back C.J. Anderson and second-round pick Devontae Booker, and unfortunately for the former Cheif, he struggled to find a clear role in the crowded backfield.

Charles quickly found himself an afterthought in Vance Joseph‘s offense and has only received 69 carries so far this season, by far the worst healthy season he’s had since his rookie season in 2008. While this is unfortunate for one of the leagues most dynamic runners, the contentious situation took a turn for the worse, when the team deactivated him in the Broncos’ Week 16 game against the Washington Redskins, a move that cost the former third-round pick a $1.25 million roster bonus he would have received had he been active for all 16 games.

This move obviously didn’t go over great with Charles, and on Tuesday, December 26th, he asked the team for his release.

And who could blame him?

Before the season began, some outside observers assumed that this season had playoff potential for in the Mile High City, but inconsistency at the quarterback position halted any hopes of making a serious push, and the team currently sits last in the AFC West with a 5-10 record.

With his perceived value at an all-time low, and his opportunity to play another season in the NFL far from guaranteed at this point, Charles could seriously use an opportunity in a scheme that fits his skill set.

Maybe in Philly?

The Eagles only have two of their current running backs under contract next season, Jay Ajayi, and Corey Clement, with former starters Darren Sproles and LeGarrette Blount, the Eagles 2017 running back free agent prize, set to test the open market whenever their season inevitably ends.

While Blount’s production has all but been completely replaced by Ajayi, his much younger, more athletic understudy, the team has really struggled to find a replacement for Sproles receiving abilities out of the backfield.

Though Kenjon Barner and Clement have both caught their fair share of passes so far this season, the absence of Sproles has seriously limited a solid chunk of the Pederson playbook.

Now Sproles has hinted at the possibility of returning for another season, as he would hate to end his playing career on an ACL injury, and the team did trade up in the fourth round to select Donnel Pumphrey, the opportunity to add a dynamic, veteran back like Charles on the cheap may be too enticing to pass up.

In Charles, the Eagles would be getting a player with the fourth best yards-per-carry averages in NFL history, at a respectable 5.4, and someone who’s caught 308 passes for over 2500 yards so far in his 10-year career.

While Sproles, a potential Hall of Famer, has been a far more prolific receiver out of the backfield, with 4650 receiving yards over his 12 year NFL career, adding a player like Charles, who has serious experience in Pederson’s scheme could very well help to regain a missing element of his hybrid West Coast offense.

Adding Charles could also help to sure up the team’s backfield pass blocking woes, one of the offense’s lone deficiencies.

As highlighted by his former team’s website, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back can seriously hold it down in the backfield against much larger players, and he’s had to do it while protecting pocket statue Alex Smith. Pairing Charles with an athletic wunderkind like Carson Wentz could make the team’s offense that much more dynamic, especially on third downs, as the former Texas Longhorn can competently run, catch and block on any given play.

Next: Should the Eagles activate Sidney Jones for the playoffs?

Regardless of how the Charles saga plays out in Denver in his last week with the team, he will without a doubt be available on the first day of free agency. The only question is, should the Philadelphia Eagles give him what very well could be his final chance at a Super Bowl ring, and a prolonged career?

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Could Jamaal Charles fill Darren Sproles shoes in 2018?

By Matty Breisch | Dec 28, 2017

With Darren Sproles set to retire after the 2017 season, could Jamaal Charles fill his shoes as the Philadelphia Eagles third down back in 2018?

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