Is Jamaal Charles deserving of a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Jamaal Charles was a transcendent running back throughout his career – but is he bound for Canton with a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Former Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos running back Jamaal Charles remains unsigned this offseason but has not yet given up his hopes to play in 2019. But regardless of if he does or not, Charles believes he has already made a strong enough case to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he is done.

Drafted by the Chiefs in the third round out of Texas in 2008, Charles was unquestionably an elite back during his time in Kansas City. Despite playing on mediocre squads during most of his career, the former Chiefs star was a two-time First Team All-Pro Selection.

Detractors will say that Charles is undeserving of the honor. They’ll say not enough yards, not enough longevity, no postseason success, no MVP awards. They’re not wrong. All of those are valid and true arguments for keeping the four-time Pro Bowler out of Canton.

But Charles currently stands as the back with the highest per rush average in league history with  5.38 yards per carry. He joins two other Hall of Famers, Jim Brown and Barry Sanders, as the only players in league history with 1,000 carries and more than 5.0 yards per carry. In his career, the Port Arthur native rushed for 44 touchdowns and caught another 20. That, coupled with accruing over 10,000 total yards from scrimmage, gives him a case for enshrinement.

His career rushing yards are only 40 less than Hall of Famer, Terrell Davis. There are also 12 other backs already in the Hall who Charles has more total rushing yards, more all-purpose yards, and more touchdowns than. His total touchdowns and total yards place him in the top 125 all-time of both categories. More than that, he carried the torch for a franchise for more than five seasons.

Unlike Davis, he was surrounded largely by poor quarterbacks and lousy supporting casts. Charles enjoyed five 1,000-yard seasons, and three of them came with Matt Cassel under center. The best receiver he ever played with? Dwayne Bowe. He only shared the field with Travis Kelce for a single year. Point being, Charles was consistently the focus of opponents, getting eight-man boxes every Sunday. It never mattered.

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While he was never the league MVP, he was the team’s MVP, unquestionably, during that time. He was ranked by Pro Football Reference as one of the top 100 players in the league five times, peaking at No. 8 in 2014.

Charles may never get the call telling him that he’s been inducted in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But without a doubt, he was a transcendent running back of his era who has a case for enshrinement.