Broncos' Charles: 'I am back to the normal me' after knee injury

The Denver Broncos signing Jamaal Charles this offseason was widely considered to be little more than a flier on an aging, oft-injured running back.

Having made a significant amount of progress in his recovery from the knee injury that ended his final season with the Kansas City Chiefs, though, the four-time Pro Bowler is confident that he can return to form in his new home.

"I am doing everything," Charles told Troy E. Renck of Denver7. "I have been cutting the last couple of days with the guys during the offseason workouts. I feel like the way I am cutting that I am back to the normal me, man. It feels good to be moving around again. I have been knowing this the whole offseason (that the knee was fine). Nobody can take nothing away from me except God when my time is up. I am still 30 years old. I still have a lot of special stuff to do."

Charles is no stranger to working his way back from a significant knee ailment. After his first ACL tear in 2011, he'd return the following year to rack up a career-high 1,509 rushing yards.

Age adds an important piece to the puzzle this time around, as ball-carriers so often fall off a cliff around the age of 30, but Charles is ready to silence the doubters.

"When people say you can't do something, you want to prove them wrong," he added. "That's always been on my mind since I signed with the Broncos."

The latest knee issues forced Charles to miss all but eight games over the last two seasons. Recapturing anything close to the form he'd been enjoying beforehand would give him every opportunity to emerge as the featured back for the Denver offense.

Charles is still the NFL's all-time leader in yards per carry among running backs. An incredible average of 5.5 yards on his 1,332 career attempts gives him a sizable edge over Jim Brown, who'd long been atop the all-time list at a similarly stellar mark of 5.2.