Eagles HC Doug Pederson told reporters at the Scouting Combine on Wednesday that they plan to evaluate free agent RB Jamaal Charles in the coming days.
“I’ve got history with him in Kansas City for three years. I think he’s a tremendous running back, and it’s something that we’ll evaluate now,” Pederson said, via ESPN.com. “We’ll grade him just like we do every free agent and every person that’s released and see where he could fit into our offense.”
As soon as the news broke that the Chiefs were releasing Charles yesterday, speculation surfaced about the Eagles being a potential landing spot for him, given their need for running back help and the fact that Pederson worked with him in Kansas City.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reported that playing for a contender will be the top priority for Charles moving forward and is looking at teams who were in the playoffs last year.
Garafolo specifically mentioned the Cowboys as a team who would be high on Charles’ list of potential landing spots. He also acknowledged the obvious connections to the Eagles and Colts, but it appears as though Charles wants to be sure that they’re in position to make a legitimate Super Bowl run.
Charles, 30, was in the final year of his four-year, $28 million contract that included $8.3 million guaranteed and was set to make a base salary of $3.75 million for the 2017 season when the Chiefs cut him in a move that freed up $7 million of available cap space.
In 2016, Charles appeared in three games and rushed for 40 yards on 12 carries (3.3 YPC) to go along with two receptions for 14 yards receiving and a touchdown.
We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2017 Free Agents list.
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