The sole idea of the Kansas City Chiefs trading away Jamaal Charles before the start of the season was insane. The veteran was a big reason why the Chiefs had one of the best rushing attacks in recent years. And he’s been pretty productive despite all the injuries throughout his career.
However, things have changed considerably over the last few weeks. Trading away Charles doesn’t sound like a bad idea, especially considering the Trade Deadline on November 1 is getting pretty close. And the main reason why the Chiefs could live without their former star RB is the presence of Spencer Ware.
Many thought Ware was going to be a one-hit wonder this season, but if we go all the way back to last year, he’s always been successful. This year he’s been the Chiefs’ best running back by a mile. And he out-snapped Charles on the one game both were healthy. Seven weeks is certainly a small sample size, but it’s not like if Charles is getting any younger. And let’s not forget he’s coming from his second major knee injury. At some point he has to slow down.
Ware has filled in admirably for the injury-prone RB, though. This season, the third-year product out of LSU has 95 carries for 492 yards and two TDs, plus 15 catches for 285 yards and another score. He ranks 11th in the league in rushing yards and his hands could use a bit of work (three fumbles already) but there’s no question the talent is there.
And Charles? He only has 12 carries for 40 yards and a TD in 2016. He’s not ready to resume a full workload yet, but one has to wonder if he’ll ever get one considering how good Ware has been. And since Charles is a proven veteran that could help lots of teams, he might have a future elsewhere. As the saying goes, “sometimes you have to give up talent to receive talent.”
It’s unclear what kind of value the Chiefs will receive for Charles. No one can deny his talent, but he’s also a 29-year-old player in his ninth season and with two major knee injuries. His knee might blow up for good any minute now. But he could also bounce back and have perhaps two or three good years left in him. In any case, he’s just too good to pass up in the open market. Maybe a second-round or a third-round pick will do the trick?
In any case, the Chiefs might be better without Charles. They would clear the logjam on the backfield, and would give Ware the chance to prove what he can do without having Charles breathing on his back. I guess now we’ll have to wait and see if Andy Reid pulls the trigger.