Report: Seahawks will get visit from former Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles

In their quest to add some veteran competition and depth at tailback, the Seahawks will get a visit from longtime Kansas City Chiefs standout-turned free agent Jamaal Charles, according to a report Thursday morning from Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.

Charles, who was released in February, suffered a second ACL injury in 2015 but is considered healthy now. But he also turns 30 in December and has played just eight games the past two seasons, one reason he will take visits. Teams can give physicals during visits so the Seahawks would be able to get their own look at Charles’ knee then. That he is set to take a visit — and likely has others — means a signing almost certainly won’t be occurring immediately. Pro Football Talk reported that the visit is set for next week.

Charles played at Texas with Seattle safety Earl Thomas and the two have the same agent, David Mulugheta.

Before the 2015 injury, Charles had rushed for more than 1,000 yards in five of the previous six seasons, including 1,033 in 2014 when he had 159 against Seattle in a 24-20 Chiefs win on Nov. 16. He hasn’t had more yards in a game since then and has 404 yards on 83 carries overall in eight games in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He had 40 yards on 12 carries in three games in 2016 when he continued to battle knee issues.

What the NFL Network describes as “mutual interest” between the two seems to further confirm that Seattle is interested in a veteran running back to add competition, and maybe some insurance, to the duo of Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise, who each suffered through injury-shortened 2016 seasons.

It is the second time this week that the Seahawks have been linked to a big-name veteran running back. On Tuesday, the father of longtime Minnesota standout Adrian Peterson, Nelson Peterson, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that Peterson would be interested in coming to Seattle.

However, it’s thought that Seattle’s interest in Peterson is more in seeing if he is still available later in the process and at a cut-rate price.  Peterson turns 32 on March 21 and is coming off an injury-filled season in which he played just three games.

Charles has likewise battled injuries. But being two years younger and possibly less expensive could make him a more realistic option for Seattle.
Charles has also been a standout receiver with the Chiefs, with a career-high 70 in 2013, and could help fill the third-down back role for the Seahawks, as well.

That’s a spot the Seahawks drafted Prosise to fill last season. But Prosise also showed promise as an every-down back while also battling injuries, playing in just six games, and Seattle coach Pete Carroll has been frank in saying Prosise’s injuries have to be taken into consideration when assessing the running back spot.

Asked about the role Prosise had carved out with the Seahawks at the Combine last week, Carroll said: “He’s carved out a very small one so far because he hasn’t played very much. But C.J we feel like we really found the kind of guy we were hoping to find. He can do the things we like him to do which is a variety of stuff. He’s a running back first, a pass catcher, he’s a guy who can get out of the backfield and line up as a receiver like he did in college which was one of the attractions of him that we were getting a receiver and a running back – two guys in one in a sense. You have to look at our games when he was available, which was just a couple, when he was there he was instrumental, was fun to have him on our side. Was great for (offensive coordinator Darrell) Bev (Bevell) to be able to use him in various ways and he was very effective and he had long runs, he had long passes, he had tough runs, he ran inside, he ran outside, he did all of that stuff for us. We have no hesitation at all in what we can do with him. We’ve just got to get him available.’’