Still living in the past. That's cool. Let's talk stats:
LJ- 416 carries for 1789 yards for a 4.3 average.
LT- 348 carries for 1815 yard for a 5.2 average.
MJD (rookie season, 2nd round selection)- 166 carries for 941 yards for a 5.7 average.
What does this tell me? LJ was not the best even when he ran for the most carries. Is he really that great then? You have made the argument (maybe not this thread though) that LJ would be up there with the top RBs this season if he had more carries. But the season where he had the most carries, he was not even the best RB. Then you look at Jones-Drew in his rookie season. Less than have the half the carries of LJ and he received over half the yard LJ did. Is LJ that dominant then? Looks to me that if we can get a second round pick for LJ, and have the ability to get a running back comparable to Jones-Drew, then the Chiefs will easily replace him.
Well, let's take a look at the possible FA O-linemen in the next coming season worth taking:
Jordan Gross (likely to re-sign with the Panthers since they made the playoffs and have a young team)
Vernon Carey (Miami RT, but no word if he will be re-signed)
Jason Peters (great LT for the Bills, and mentioned his disapproval of the Bills ability reach a contract. However, it is unlikely the Bills will let him go, since Peters still wants to be part of the team.
Out of the three best linemen available, only one is a question mark. So what O-line do you see building through free agency? The Chiefs have a better chance of drafting 4 linemen (which I am not suggesting we do, I'm a defense guy) and by your logic, finding two starters which would be the number the Chiefs need.
Charles may not be the starter but he can fill a role like Norwood did for Atlanta. Charles is worth keeping.