The Jamaal Charles show has only just begun in Denver

DENVER — Jamaal Charles had one game to prove his worth to the Denver Broncos.

Pass the “test,” make the team and essentially earn an extra $1.228 mil. in salary and bonuses for doing so. Fail the “test” and potentially see your NFL career become a thing of the past.

On Saturday night, in his lone preseason action against the Green Bay Packers, Charles took his assignment as his opportunity to prove just how valuable he is to the Broncos, not if he was worth it.

Leading up to Denver’s third preseason game, Broncos’ head coach Vance Joseph made the veteran running back’s task straightforward: “Just Jamaal being Jamaal,” he said when asked what he needed to see from the 30-year old.

After the conclusion of the first-half, Joseph, the most important judge in the running backs future, gave his approval: “Jamaal was Jamaal.”

It didn’t even take until the end of the game for Joseph to give his blessing to Charles. In fact, Charles could have received this after his first touch. With 11:40 left in the first quarter, the Broncos’ offense faced a 2nd-and-10 from their own 27. Trevor Siemian handed the ball to Charles, and seven yards later he ran out of bounds.

What would have been a relatively routine play for any other running back was anything but for Charles. In those seven yards, he showed burst, speed and the characteristics that make Jamaal, Jamaal. But that wasn’t it for the former Kansas City Chief.

He finished the night with an impressive stat line on a relatively small amount of work: four carries for 27 yards (6.8 average)—including a long run of 12—and two catches for 15 yards.

“I thought Jamaal was impressive,” the head coach said postgame. “I mean he hadn’t played football in almost a year and a half. So to take the contact and find open space the way he did and caught the ball well and his protection was real good. So I was impressed with Jamaal. I was hoping he would look like that tonight. I was pleased.”

Check, check and check. While Charles abilities weren’t foreign to Denver’s staff, as they’ve seen him on the practice field for months, his ability to take contact could have been the biggest question entering the game. The running back hasn’t been tackled on a field since Oct. 23, 2016, as a member of the Chiefs. Charles was evaluated from a concussion but returned to the field shortly after passing the concussion protocol.

During the game broadcast, Broncos’ president of football operations and general manager John Elway pointed to Charles playmaking ability saying, it was exciting to see him have the juice that “he’s always had.”

Charles’ success came on a night when Denver’s other running backs cumulatively struggled. His 6.8 yards per rush over doubled the other three running backs that saw action. C.J. Anderson, De’Angelo Henderson and Stevan Ridley combined for 66 rushing yards on 23 carries for an average of 2.9 yards per carry, including two fumbles by Henderson and five carries for one yard by Ridley.

“Jamaal brings a speed element that we haven’t had in a long time,” Joseph said. “Third downs, catching the ball out of the backfield, he’s an explosive receiver. He’s a guy that can make a big play at any moment. That’s a nice, nice player to have on your offense. Along with C.J., ‘Book’ and all of those guys. It’s going to be a four or five man backfield that’s going to be special in my opinion.”

Passing all tests, physically, mentally and on the stat sheet, Joseph all but said No. 28 would be on the Broncos’ 53-man roster come Sept. 11. When asked if Charles would be “good to go” against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 of the regular season, Joseph said, “Yeah, yeah. I hope so. Absolutely.”

After Saturday night, it’s safe to invest in an Orange and Blue No. 28 jersey.