Emerald City Swagger
Fansided

Three Seahawks Free Agent Targets

By Ben Renner

Mar 2, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Seahawks
Oct 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders during the second quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Jamaal Charles

Before you scroll down to the comments section to troll me, hear me out. There are two main arguments for why the Seahawks should stay away from Charles: money and performance. Charles has had two seasons erased by serious knee injuries in his career, including last season. In the past two seasons, Charles has only played in eight games because of injuries.

He’s also 30 years old, the time when running backs are usually best put out to pasture. The once indestructible and incredibly prolific Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is proof. I understand not getting burned again by a 30-year-old running back is a worthy concern, but if anyone can bounce back, it’s Charles, especially in a limited role.

The Seahawks are deep at running back at the moment. Thomas Rawls is still the nominal starter, with C.J. Prosise looking like the main change-of-pace/ backup at this point. Carroll also has Alex Collins, who improved as the season went on last year, and Troymaine Pope, waiting in the wings. The Seahawks have options at running back.

Add in Charles, and you could have a running back by committee situation going into training camp. As horrible as the ‘RBBC’ label is in fantasy football, there’s a reason why so many NFL franchises try it. Defenses see a variety of running backs hammering them and have to adjust. Running backs are fresher on a per-play basis, and if one tweaks an ankle or breaks a leg, you have several options to take the ball.

The days of Seattle being a one-back team are over. In the post-Beastmode era, they can use all the help they can get. Charles will probably never keep his career 5.5 yards-per-carry average (the second best by a running back in NFL history) going, but the versatile back could help the team greatly in spots, especially if he only sees five or ten carries a game.

NFL teams are skittish of past-their-prime running backs these days, which will likely push Charles’ asking price down. If the Seahawks can get him on a one-year, ‘prove-it’ deal, he could provide a big boost behind the oft-injured Prosise and Rawls.

We’ve written about a potential Adrian Peterson signing on the site before, and Charles has essentially the same concerns, but those concerns can be mitigated and he could help the team.

Home/Seattle Seahawks