Jamaal Charles leaves New Orleans Saints without new contract

It looks like the New Orleans Saints found a running back not named Jamaal Charles to fill their needs after the longtime Chiefs RB visited on Wednesday.

Jamaal Charles went to the New Orleans Saints with the hopes of finding meaningful work in 2018. It looks like that search will continue after word leaked that the Saints had decided to go a different direction at running back.

Charles visited with the Saints on Wednesday along with a couple other veteran running backs in Terrance West and Tim Hightower. All three players were hoping to earn a roster spot, and West is the winner in the end. Given the competition already in the backfield and the fact that West is likely only a temporary measure to deal with Mark Ingram’s injury, it’s hard to see the Saints signing more than West.

That means Charles will head back to the drawing board once again, hoping that a team in needed of rushing help will come calling. Last year, Charles has 69 carries for 296 rushing yards and 1 touchdown. He also had 23 catches for 129 receiving yards. Toward the end of the season, Charles ended up complaining about the Broncos offensive plans, which didn’t include him enough.

If Charles is going to find a new home, it might not come until the 11th hour in training camp when teams are able to sift out the level of talent they already have (or not) or deal with injuries that creep in. Charles insisted last offseason that he had something to prove, and he’s now another full year removed from the knee injury that was hanging over his head last spring.

Charles remains the franchise’s all-time leading rusher with 7,260 rushing yards and 43 rushing touchdowns.