The Baltimore Ravens have the deepest running back group in the NFL. How many teams as run-heavy as Baltimore would give someone like JK Dobbins such a limited opportunity? On a team with Dobbins and Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards has emerged as the Ravens closer.
Edwards is starting to establish himself as a powerful and efficient runner. For his career, Edwards is averaging a ridiculous 5.4 yards per carry. It doesn’t get much better than that. Edwards ranks third in the NFL in that category this year with a mark of 6.2.
The funniest part about that is Edwards’ longest run on the season is just 24 yards. Translation, the guy falls forward five yards on virtually every snap. On the season, Edwards is touting a stat line of 27 carries for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
Edwards is a former undrafted free agent from Rutgers via Miami. Edwards sort of got lost in the shuffle at Miami and wound up moving closer to home.
Two things worked in the Ravens favor.
1: Edwards has a ton of tread on the tires because neither program ran him into the ground.
2: Edwards performed well in college, but because he transferred to Rutgers, nobody paid attention.
Edwards’ production is not a fluke. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Edwards has run against eight or more defenders in the box on 40.7% of his carries. That’s the second-highest mark in the league. It just doesn’t matter because he trucks his way to positive runs every single time.
Signing the Gus Bus has been brilliant and under the radar pick up by Baltimore. How many years in a row does this guy have to average over five YPC before he gets any respect? Well, it’s happening this year because he’s stealing touches from Ingram and Dobbins. It’s also infuriating fantasy owners, but the truth of the matter is, Edwards deserves touches.
Edwards, 25, is in the final year of his rookie contract. Because Edwards was undrafted, he will become a restricted free agent at seasons end and likely receive a second-round tender. Will Baltimore keep Edwards long term or maybe offer him in trade packages considering they have Dobbins waiting for an opportunity?
The current Ravens running back rotation has remained inconsistent. The only thing that has started to take shape is that Edwards continues to develop as a stud and gets featured often in clock chewing situation. Gus Edwards is emerging as the most underrated running back in the league that nobody is talking about.
