ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — John’s still got game.
Less than 72-hours after the end of the draft — a draft in which Denver added five offensive players — general manager John Elway showed he wasn’t done revamping the Broncos’ offense. On Tuesday, the Broncos agreed to terms with former Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, in what is the flashiest move of the offseason to date.
And make no doubt about it, just the presence of the man upstairs, Elway, was instrumental in bringing the former rival to the Mile High City.
“I always wanted to play with Denver,” Charles said to the Denver media after signing on Tuesday. “Growing up, John Elway was my favorite player. I just like the environment, the team, and the organization. I wanted to be a part of it. I still feel like I can still play ball. I can keep up with the young people.”
It wasn’t just the Hall of Famer that attracted Charles to Denver. With the addition of Charles and De’Angelo Henderson in the sixth-round of the draft on Saturday, the Broncos backfield has become crowded. Charles joins Henderson, C.J. Anderson, Devontae Booker, Juwan Thompson and Bernard Pierce as potential ball carriers for the 2017 season. However, that excites the four-time All-Pro.
“I just love C.J. Anderson’s game. He’s powerful and he’s fast. He is physical and he breaks tackles,” Charles said. “Just playing with a guy like that, I just want to come in here and help the team with my explosiveness. I want to come up and play for each other and push each other to get better. That’s the goal at the end of the day. Now we’re on the same team, so we’re going to try and push each other to get to the one goal, and that’s another Super Bowl.”
Charles, who’s 5.5 yards per carry is the best in NFL history among running backs, is a playmaker all over the field. During his time with the Chiefs, Charles would regularly carry the ball between the tackles, bounce outside, catch out of the backfield and motion out as a receiver. With the Broncos, even at age 30, he sees himself in a similar role.
“I just want to use my abilities to help and catch it out the backfield,” he said. “I run screens really well, being patient, running routes out the backfield. That’s kind of been a part of my game the last couple years. I like [Mike] McCoy, the offensive coordinator, and what he did in San Diego and now being back with the Broncos. I’ve seen what his vision is and I see what my vision is—to help the team out of the backfield and catch the ball. That is what my job is. I’m out here to help the team out.”
After battling a major knee injury the past two seasons, it would have been easy, and understandable, for Charles to call it a career. However, he had a different vision of what will happen to him and his new team in the future.
“Everybody is different. I’m not like everybody else. At the end of the day, I’m still alive. It’s not about money,” Charles said. “It’s not what you see; it’s what you don’t see. A lot of people see me [being done]. I see me going out there, helping the team win and helping the team get to the playoffs and get to the Super Bowl. That’s what I see. I see things that are just in my fate.”
While it will takes months to see if Charles can accurately see his future, one thing that is clear with this signing is Denver, and Charles, want to make the Broncos offense dynamic again.
