Jamaal Charles has been the face of the franchise for the Kansas City Chiefs over the past several seasons, and he’s the team’s workhorse. Headed into his eighth season, he is still one of the NFL’s top running backs. Charles does everything — rushing, receiving and blocking – and he does it well.

At age 28 (he will turn 29 in late-December), he does have some tread on the tires, but he has shown no signs of slowing down for the foreseeable future. Charles has rushed for more than 1,000 yards each of the past three seasons, as well as his past five full seasons (he only played in two games in 2011). In fact, Charles was recently quoted as saying he “feels (age) 20, 21,” and that he is “doing everything” he is supposed to do to keep his body up.

Charles is looking to get back to elite status. He was bothered by injuries throughout 2014, as he only rushed for 1,033 yards in 15 games. He did have 291 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns, though. Expect those numbers to increase, as long as the offensive line can play well despite center Rodney Hudson’s departure.

Charles has averaged 5.5 yards per carry throughout his career. He is one of the most elusive players in the game, and he’s still one of the biggest breakaway threats in the league. Charles is a burner; if you give him a hole he is going to burst through it for a good gain. He’s scored double-digit total touchdowns in each of the past two seasons and is a threat both when carrying the ball or catching it out of the backfield.

It is without question that Charles is still the focal point of this offense. Keep in mind that the Chiefs did not have a single wide receiver record a touchdown reception in 2014, as unbelievable of a fact as that is. Quarterback Alex Smith does a good job managing the game, but he is never going to be the guy to throw it downfield 20 times per game.

As long as Andy Reid is the head coach and Smith is taking the snaps, Charles is going to get a lot of touches. Backup running back Knile Davis will get a few reps per game, but his 3.5 yards per carry average needs to improve before he becomes a threat to take carries away from Charles.

Although he is getting up there in age at a position with a short shelf life, Charles is as consistent as they come when healthy. His success directly translates to Kansas City’s win/loss record. If Charles can avoid those nagging injuries that slowed him down in 2014, he will once again have a Pro Bowl-quality season and the Chiefs could contend for a playoff spot.