Bucs Sign Veteran RB
No, the Bucs won’t be signing former Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott to team with Rachaad White and Ke’Shawn Vaughn in Tampa Bay’s backfield. Instead, the team signed veteran Chase Edmonds, who played for Miami and Denver last year. ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news on Twitter.
The 5-foot-9, 210-pound Edmonds was a fourth-round pick by Arizona in 2018 and has rushed for 1,796 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 4.5 yards per carry in his five-year NFL career. His most productive season came in 2021 when he ran for 596 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Cardinals before signing with Miami in free agency the following year. Edmonds started 11 games that season in Arizona and has 18 career starts.
The Fordham product is also a great receiver out of the backfield. He has 144 career receptions for 1,078 yards (7.5 avg.) and six touchdowns. His best season came in 2020 when he hauled in 53 catches for 402 yards (7.6 avg.) and four touchdowns.
Chase Edmonds Is A Cheap, Veteran Option For Bucs
Chase Edmonds, 27, signed a one-year deal worth the league minimum of $1.08 million. His signing is in line with the Bucs’ stated goal of value signings this season, as the team looks to dig its way out of a salary cap hole created in part by $35 million worth of dead money from Tom Brady’s contract.
Edmonds is a slashing, cutback runner, whose rushing style should be a great fit in Tampa Bay’s new offense. New offensive coordinator Dave Canales will be incorporating a lot of wide zone run plays, which should play to Edmonds’ strengths. This is another quality signing by the Bucs this offseason, who are having a great run in free agency despite limited cap resources.
The Bucs really wanted Edmonds last year in free agency, but instead re-signed Leonard Fournette to a three-year deal instead due to his familiarity with Brady and the offense. Fournette is being released this offseason due to his sub-par season in 2022, and to free up approximately $3.5 million in cap space. The Bucs are also moving on from veteran free agent Giovani Bernard.
Despite a report in the Tampa Bay Times, the Bucs do not have an interest in Elliott, who played for new Bucs running backs coach Skip Peete in Dallas. The Bucs can’t afford Elliott, who has a lot more wear and tear on his body after running for over 8,000 yards in his career and compiling over 10,000 total yards.
