Giants Rumors: Pros, Cons Of Targeting Jamaal Charles In Free Agency

3 of 6

Oct 4, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 36-21. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Con: Injury History

Unfortunately for Jamaal Charles and the New York Giants, this con may be as strong as any three pros. For as dominant a player as he’s been when healthy, the sample size of healthy games is far too limited to be ignored.

It’s entirely possible that Charles can turn out an elite season in 2017, but the Giants can’t possibly disregard the injury risk involved in signing him.

Charles missed 14 games in 2011 due to a torn ACL, but he bounced back to play at least 15 games in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He was legitimately dominant during that three-year stretch, but the injuries returned over the course of the past two seasons.

Charles missed 11 games due to another torn ACL in 2015 and was absent for 13 games during the 2016 campaign due to the lingering effects of that same injury.

The optimistic take is that Charles spent last year getting back to 100 percent after undergoing a second knee procedure. The pessimistic take is that he’s a 30-year-old running back with an extensive injury history.

Signing Charles isn’t entirely out of the question, but the length of a potential contract should be heavily influenced by the medical evaluation.

Home/NY Giants Free Agency