The Jacksonville Jaguars' backfield entered the early part of the week dealing with injuries and in need of help.
Starter Leonard Fournette remains out with a hamstring injury and backup Corey Grant suffered a season-ending foot injury, leaving T.J. Yeldon as the last man standing after Week 5.
The Jaguars, however, moved quickly to bolster depth by signing veteran Jamaal Charles to a free-agent deal and bringing in rookie David Williams off the Denver Broncos practice squad.
While Charles, a former two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, provides experience, Jaguars coach Doug Marrone left little doubt on the current pecking order as the team prepares for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys.
"T.J. will be a guy that will carry the load for us," Marrone said Wednesday, via the Jaguars' official website. "We brought Jamaal in and David Williams off the Denver practice squad.
"Jamaal, he looked good. He looked in shape; he looked like he was ready to go ... We need some help, so we brought those guys in here. We'll just put them to work."
Once regarded as one of the league's top running backs in his prime, the 31-year-old Charles has 10,142 total yards (7,556 rushing) and 64 touchdowns on his 10-year career, nine with the Kansas City Chiefs and the 2017 campaign with the Denver Broncos.
Charles, however, went unsigned during the offseason despite having a workout with the New Orleans Saints in May and a visit with the Washington Redskins in September.
The veteran running back told reporters Wednesday that he stayed in shape throughout the process, and the decision to join the Jaguars proved easy.
"I feel like they have a contender team and I was happy when they called," Charles said. "I want to win a Super Bowl and that's why I always kept my options open because I did want to win a Super Bowl. They have a good chance to do that, so I came here so I could contribute."
While the full realm of his responsibilities remains unknown, Charles said he will do whatever the coaching staff asks of him and he doesn't believe it will take long to pick up the playbook, pointing out his experience on two different teams.
"I've been a vet for years now, I mean, for a decade at least, so now football is like football to me," Charles said.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars are likely to stick with Yeldon in the lead role until Fournette returns even if Charles acclimates quickly.
At this stage of his career and with a history of knee injuries, Charles provides a veteran presence and can help out in a complementary role as a situational running back.
