The Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to phrases with free agent working again Gus Edwards, in line with a number of experiences.
Edwards, who turns 29 in April, is the primary main signing underneath new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and normal supervisor Joe Hortiz. Edwards was the Thirty fifth-ranked participant in Randy Mueller’s prime 150 free brokers and is now an choice to take over for Austin Ekeler’s because the workforce’s featured again.
Edwards is coming off his best season as a professional dashing for a career-high 810 yards and 13 touchdowns within the common season.
Additionally Monday, the Chargers agreed to phrases with former Seattle Seahawks tight finish Will Dissly, per a number of experiences.
How he suits
Familiarity was possible a driving power within the Edwards signing. Hortiz joined the Chargers after 26 seasons within the Ravens’ personnel division, together with all six of Edwards’ seasons in Baltimore. Hortiz was the Ravens’ director of school scouting when the workforce signed Edwards as an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers in 2018. Edwards performed underneath John Harbaugh, Jim’s brother. He additionally performed underneath Greg Roman, the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator and play caller. Roman was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator for 4 seasons from 2019 to 2022. Much more connections: The Chargers’ new run sport coordinator and tight ends coach Andy Bischoff spent six seasons with the Ravens from 2015 to 2020, the ultimate three with Edwards on the roster. New offensive line coach Mike Devlin spent the final two seasons in Baltimore as assistant offensive line coach.
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2024 affect
The Chargers entrance workplace and training workers have been aligned in laying out their imaginative and prescient for the offense. They wish to domesticate a powerful, dependable working sport, and their hope is that may permit quarterback Justin Herbert to flourish. An necessary step in attaining that aim is constructing out the working again room with established runners. The Chargers have been lacking that component in latest seasons. Ekeler, who’s a pending free agent, has a whole lot of strengths to his sport — particularly discovering the top zone and catching the ball out of the backfield. However he’s not an elite runner between the tackles. Edwards has the dimensions and downhill working fashion to supply a special component for this model of the Chargers offense.
A second step in growing the run sport was enhancing one other weaker spot on the roster: tight finish. Particularly, the run blocking at tight finish. The Chargers checked that field by agreeing to phrases with Dissly, who was reduce by the Seahawks earlier this offseason. The Chargers had one of many worst run-blocking tight finish rooms in soccer over the previous two seasons. They spent a third-round decide on Tre’ McKitty in 2021 to be that participant, however he by no means developed. The Chargers reduce McKitty in October. Gerald Everett was their prime tight finish, however he was extra constant as a move catcher and yards-after-catch risk than as a blocker. Their run sport struggled, partly, as a result of the tight ends have been commonly shedding on the level of assault. Dissly is an improve, with confirmed blocking potential over his six NFL seasons. Hortiz and Harbaugh have spoken publicly about their want for an improved run sport. With these first two additions of free company, they’re placing motion to their phrases.
Historical past
Edwards suffered a torn ACL in observe in early September of 2021. He missed your entire season. He returned halfway by way of 2022 and 5.0 yards per keep on 87 makes an attempt in 9 video games. Edwards then broke out in 2023, taking excessive spot on the working again depth chart after J.Okay. Dobbins suffered a ruptured Achilles in Week 1. Edwards led Ravens backs with a career-high 810 dashing yards. He additionally set a profession excessive with 180 receiving yards and completed third within the NFL amongst working backs with 13 touchdowns. Edwards ranked twelfth in dashing success charge amongst backs with at the least 150 carries, in line with TruMedia. Edwards turns 29 in April, however he brings a comparatively low workload to Los Angeles. He has 729 profession touches. Evaluate that to Ekeler, who has 1,430 profession touches. Ekeler turns 29 in Could.
Cap replace
The Chargers nonetheless have fairly a bit of labor to do to be cap-compliant by 1 p.m. PT on Wednesday, which is the beginning of the brand new league yr. They’re $21.14 million over the cap, in line with Over the Cap, they usually might want to clear greater than that to suit the Edwards and Dissly offers — and another free agent agreements — into their cap sheet. No offers are official till the brand new league yr begins. The main focus will likely be on the Chargers’ 4 mammoth veteran contracts: Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. There will likely be possible motion with at the least certainly one of these gamers — commerce, launch or extension — within the subsequent two days.
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Outlook
Joshua Kelley can be a pending free agent, that means the Chargers solely had two working backs on their roster earlier than the Edwards transfer: Isaiah Spiller and Elijah Dotson, who mixed for simply 41 carries in 2023. Edwards is one piece. The Chargers may be trying so as to add one other again within the draft to fill out the room, and they need to prioritize related traits as they appear to develop their working sport for Herbert in 2024.
Mueller’s scouting report on Gus Edwards
This may be nearly as good of a match as we’ve got seen to date in free company. Edwards runs with energy and pure imaginative and prescient to get extra out of every play than what’s designed by the scheme or sport plan. His power and pad degree make it robust for the primary defender to get him on the bottom.
The play doesn’t must be blocked completely for Edwards to make it optimistic, and he’s a greater participant than his numbers would inform you. I see him as a really undervalued commodity, and I like the match with the Chargers, the place Edwards will likely be reunited with former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman. — Randy Mueller, NFL workers author
Required studying
(Picture: Robin Alam / ISI Images / Getty Photographs)