Tuesday really wasn’t a good day if you were a stud in “Madden NFL 12”.
The Kansas City Chiefs released Jamaal Charles, the Minnesota Vikings cut Adrian Peterson and the New York Jets booted Darrelle Revis.
We detailed before why the New England Patriots typically show interest in released veteran players over typical unrestricted free agents, so it’s at least worth perking up when a player who still holds some value gets cut.
Case in point: The Patriots reportedly recently worked out defensive lineman Jared Odrick, who was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It seems unlikely the Patriots would bring back Revis, who — let’s put it kindly — didn’t appear to show much interest in playing football last season. Eh, I guess putting it kindly didn’t work so well.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss brought up good points when explaining why the Patriots aren’t a likely destination for Peterson’s services.
But Charles? It’s worth exploring.
Let’s get the negatives out of the way first: He’s played eight games in the last two seasons and gained just 54 yards on 14 touches in three games last season. He’s also 30 years old and doesn’t fit the Patriots’ typical profile for a between-the-tackles runner.
But Charles was a bell cow in his best NFL seasons despite being just 5-foot-11, 199 pounds, and he still was fantastic before tearing his ACL in 2015, when he averaged 5.1 yards per carry and 8.4 yards per catch.
It’s entirely possible another team will be willing to give Charles too much guaranteed money as a free agent, but if one isn’t, and if he’s really looking to sign for less to win a Super Bowl? The Patriots might as well throw out an offer, because as it stands, they don’t have a running back on their roster who can carry the ball 250 times per season. And while it remains to be seen whether Charles still can do that, he at least has in the past.
James White, Dion Lewis, D.J. Foster and Tyler Gaffney currently are under contract with the Patriots, and LeGarrette Blount, who tailed off as the 2016 season progressed, is a free agent. It seems likely Blount will be back in training camp in 2017, but he could use some competition. Charles would provide that. So would a rookie selected in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Patriots have plenty of cap room, so why not add a veteran and a rookie to make camp interesting and ensure the ground game in more consistent in 2017?
The Patriots also have a smaller, more athletic offensive line compared to the rest of the NFL. A smaller running back like Charles (or Lewis) fits their offense.
It’s entirely possible Charles’ best days are behind him. But if the price is right, it makes sense for a running back-needy team to scoop him up.
Thumbnail photo via Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports Images
