The Dallas Cowboys need to find an answer at running back, and that could mean picking up a tenacious Baltimore Ravens running back. Gus Edwards has had a solid start to his NFL career, but is set for free agency and needs a new team.
SI.com’s Timm Hamm recently addressed Edwards’ future and stated that the Cowboys make sense as a suitor. While Edwards is a talented player, Hamm describes a potential signing as a “steal” due to his projected contract numbers.
“One possible replacement for Pollard that could interest the Cowboys is Ravens running back Gus Edwards… Edwards might be just the guy to put some physicality back in the rushing game after the departure of Ezekiel Elliott,” Hamm wrote on February 12. “And Edwards could be of tremendous value as well. Spotrac.com thinks Edwards’ value on the open market is around $4.5 million – a virtual steal for the production he is capable of.”
The Cowboys could do far worse than Edwards, and they probably can’t sign a better RB at that price. Edwards has proven he’s a serious weapon in a two-RB system, and can even carry the load as a lead back.
Ravens RB Gus Edwards Gets Contract Year Opportunity
Injuries are never a positive, but they do open up opportunities for other players. That’s exactly what happened with J.K. Dobbins and Edwards. Dobbins suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1, meaning that Edwards didn’t take the backup role as initially planned.
In some ways, Edwards excelled in the role. Pro Football Reference shows that he scored 13 touchdowns last season and his 810 rushing yards are the highest season total of his career. However, he averaged 4.1 yards per carry, nearly a whole yard less than his typical average.
Edwards leaned into his bruiser role. But it’s not like he exploded in terms of production getting 198 handoffs. He was still effective, but it’s important to realize that he’s still at his best in a RB duo.
And at $4-5 million a season, that’s potentially worth it. Dallas should draft another RB no matter what, which could set up a new duo for a total cost of, say, $6 million a year.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard Talks Free Agency
The potential departure of Tony Pollard is far from certain, but the signs seem to point toward an exit. While Pollard cracked the 1000-yard mark, the issue was that Dallas paid a premium for it.
Going into 2024, Pollard understands the situation. During an interview with Blogging the Boys, Pollard revealed that he wants to stay in Dallas but gets that the Cowboys have to make business decisions.
“If I could choose, I would love to be in Dallas,” Pollard said. “But at the end of the day, you know it’s a business. So, it is what it is. You gotta be ready for what comes.”
Pollard also explained that the weeks after the 2024 Super Bowl would “clear up” his future. Now that the Super Bowl is officially behind us, expect the ball to start rolling fairly quickly.
