Chiefs vow to give Jamaal Charles more rest this season

The Kansas City Chiefs want to keep running back Jamaal Charles fresh this season, and that means Knile Davis' role will continue to expand as he enters his third season.

''You want to make sure he is healthy late in the season,'' offensive coordinator Doug Pederson told The Associated Press. ''So if that means giving a guy like Knile Davis some reps - whatever you have to do, number one, to keep him healthy for 16 games, and you do that each week.''

In June, the confident Davis told Adam Teicher of ESPN that he didn't feel there was any gap between he and Charles. Still, there's no question Charles is the lead back until further notice.

Recognizing when Charles needs rest will be the key to keeping him around should the Chiefs make a run into the playoffs, something Pederson knows is easier said than done with the notably stoic Charles.

"We have to be smart and work with our training staff and our medical staff to just stay in tune," Pederson said. "Communication is obviously the utmost importance when it comes to those kinds of situations. We have to be smart and give him that proper rest, you know? And he has to communicate with us and tell us when he may be a little banged-up or maybe can't go here or there."

Davis has seen his rush attempts increase over his first two seasons, as he compiled 134 carries for 463 yards and six touchdowns in 2014. With Charles approaching 30, Davis is the Chiefs' back of the future and could go over the 200 carry mark for the first time this season.