DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 01: Denver Broncos running back Jamaal Charles (28) runs the ball during the Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos football game on October 1, 2017 at Sports Authority Field in Denver, CO. (Photo by Kyle Emery/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
With their running back ranks thinned by injury, the Jacksonville Jaguars are searching for some reinforcements.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were in line to have a robust rushing attack this year, but they sit 15th in the league right now. Much of that can be blamed on Leonard Fournette’s lingering hamstring issue, which is in line to cost him another game this week and he hasn’t finished the two he has played because of it.
T.J. Yeldon has been fine as a fill-in for Fournette, averaging 4.4 yards per carry with 22 receptions this season. But Jacksonville’s running back depth took another hit in Week 5, as Corey Grant suffered a season-ending foot injury against the Kansas City Chiefs.
With only David Williams, a seventh-round pick by the Denver Broncos in April that didn’t make their roster, behind Yeldon, the Jaguars need to find some healthy running back depth.
On Tuesday, they’re working out a group that will include Jamaal Charles and Charcandrick West.
Charles was once on of the most explosive backs in the NFL, and he is still averaging 5.4 yards per carry for his career. He stayed healthy last season, but he only had 92 touches in 14 games with the Broncos and he barely got a look from teams during the offseason. Crossing over the 30-year age threshold has not been kind to Charles.
West spent the 2014-2017 seasons with the Chiefs, with his best season coming in 2015 when Charles only played five games (160 carries for 634 yards and four touchdowns). But he was cut in August, and landed with the New York Jets before being let go again at final roster cuts. He worked out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, but that’s his only known interest over the past month.
Yeldon will clearly continue to be Jacksonville’s lead back for however much longer Fournette is out. But even for one more game, there’s a clear need for another healthy body just to get through.