The Chiefs played without running back Jamaal Charles in Sunday’s loss to the Texans, but Adam Schefter of ESPN reported earlier in the day that the wait for his return from last year’s torn ACL may not be far off.
Schefter reported that Charles is expected make his 2016 debut against the Jets in Week Three, something coach Andy Reid wasn’t willing to say when he met reporters on Monday. Reid said that Charles told him last week that he wasn’t quite ready to get back on the field yet, but that he’s “made a lot of improvement.”
Reid also said that the team wants to be sure Charles is fully recovered because “we’re not playing tiddlywinks” and that he thinks Charles will be the same player he was before the injury once he does return to action.
“Yeah, I think so -- I think so,” Reid said, via the Kansas City Star. “I thought last week he looked good. Last week, you see him getting in and out of his cuts and looking like Jamaal. It’s just a matter of the endurance part and his security in how he feels about that, about the leg, and what the docs say.”
When the Chiefs and Charles do feel he’s ready for action, the presence of Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West allows them to keep Charles from doing too much too soon. We’ll find out later this week if that return will come against the Jets.