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Chase Edmonds

Buccaneers Set 53-Man Roster

August 27th, 2024 at 10:59pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers surprised a bit in 2023 without Tom Brady in the lineup. With Baker Mayfield leading the way, the team managed to win their division and return to the postseason for the fourth-straight season. Before the team can look to make it five consecutive trips to the playoffs, the organization had to make some difficult roster decisions today. The team announced the following moves as they set their 53-man roster:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Placed on IR:

The Buccaneers have continued their trend of building around draft picks. As Greg Auman of FOX Sports points out, 44 of Tampa Bay’s 53 players were either drafted by the organization or joined as an undrafted free agent. Among starters, the only players who didn’t join the organization as rooks are QB Baker Mayfield and guard Ben Bredeson.

The team will temporarily roll with only a pair of quarterbacks in Mayfield and backup Kyle Trask. John Wolford could have brought some starting experience to the QB room, as the former Ram started four games during his time in Los Angeles. The veteran also started the 2023 campaign on Tampa Bay’s p-squad before earning a promotion, so there’s a chance he follows a similar path this year.

RB Chase Edmonds Expected To Miss 2024 Season

August 26th, 2024 at 9:24pm CST by Ben Levine

Chase Edmonds won’t be playing for the Buccaneers this season. According to Greg Auman of FOX Sports, the Buccaneers will place the RB on IR before final cuts. Auman clarifies that Edmonds will indeed miss the upcoming campaign.

Last week, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told the media that the RB was expected to play in 2024. Edmonds had been sidelined since early training camp with an undisclosed injury. If Edmonds made the 53-man roster before landing on IR, he would have had to sit out at least four games. The Bucs could have also declared Edmonds as one of their two pre-cutdown IR stashes who are eligible to return in 2024. Instead, Edmonds’ only path to playing in 2024 would be via an injury settlement with the Buccaneers.

Edmonds was productive as an RB2 in Arizona to begin his career. This included 2020 and 2021 campaigns where he averaged 876 yards from scrimmage and 48 catches per season. He parlayed that performance into a two-year contract with the Dolphins, but he didn’t even make it through one season in Miami before getting shipped to Denver as part of the Bradley Chubb deal. Edmonds ultimately finished that 2022 season with 402 yards from scrimmage.

The running back caught on with the Buccaneers last offseason and was expected to serve as the team’s RB2. He missed four games towards the beginning of the year but otherwise served as Rachaad White‘s primary backup. Unfortunately for Edmonds, that role didn’t lead to much production, as the 28-year-old finished with a career-low 257 yards from scrimmage.

Edmonds’ role on the depth chart didn’t look nearly as secure heading into the 2024 preseason. The team added Bucky Irving in the fourth round, and the likes of Sean Tucker and Ramon Jefferson also found themselves climbing the ladder. Edmonds will now be the odd man out, although there’s a chance he sticks around on Tampa Bay’s IR for the entirety of the upcoming season.

Buccaneers Plan For RB Chase Edmonds To Start Season On IR

August 24th, 2024 at 1:49pm CST by Ely Allen

As we near the start of the regular season, we are beginning to get a clearer picture of what NFL rosters will look like in Week 1. In one such instance, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles informed the media that running back Chase Edmonds would likely start the season on injured reserve, per Greg Auman of FOX Sports.

Edmonds spent the 2023 season as RB2 for Tampa Bay, running behind starter Rachaad White and before Ke’Shawn Vaughn. He finished his first season with the Buccaneers with 49 carries for 176 yards and 14 catches for 81 yards through the air.

Despite his status as the second back on the depth chart, last year saw the least-productive season of Edmonds’ career. Running mostly as the second back in Arizona during his rookie contract, Edmonds averaged about 388 rushing yards and 231 receiving yards per season as a Cardinal. He even earned 11 starts in 12 games during the final year of his rookie deal. He followed that up by splitting the 2022 season between Miami and Denver before making his way to Tampa last year.

Vaughn signed as a free agent in San Francisco, so without Vaughn and Edmonds, the top backup behind White is seemingly fourth-round rookie Bucky Irving out of Oregon. Originally a Golden Gopher as a freshman in college, Irving transferred from Minnesota to spend the past two seasons with the Ducks, amassing 2,238 rushing yards for 16 touchdowns and 712 receiving yards for five more scores through the air over that time. He hasn’t gotten much run throughout the preseason, but Tampa Bay won’t have much choice but to rely on him at the start of 2024.

Additionally, Bowles claims that second-year wide receiver Rakim Jarrett will follow Edmonds to IR. An undrafted rookie last season out of Maryland, Jarrett caught four passes for 60 yards in 2024. With some shuffling around in the receivers room this offseason, Jarrett was looking to start the year on the two-deep. Instead, he’ll likely miss the first four games of the year, at least.

While there is a rule that players placed on IR before the start of the regular season must spend the entire season there, there is also a new rule dictating that teams may place two players on IR before the roster cut deadline and still have them be eligible to return for the season. Any other players that a team plans to place on IR will need to spend at least on day of the 53-man roster before being moved to the injured list. It looks like Edmonds and Jarrett will be the unlucky two for Tampa Bay allowed to return.

Bucs To Bring Back RB Chase Edmonds

March 11th, 2024 at 8:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chase Edmonds enjoyed an unstable stretch following his Arizona departure, being traded and then cut. The veteran running back has since found some stability.

The Buccaneers are bringing back Edmonds, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Edmonds spent the 2023 season as a Bucs contributor, working behind starter Rachaad White. The ex-Cardinals draftee will aim to reprise that role next season. Edmonds will sign a one-year, $1.5MM deal that includes a $2MM max, ESPN’s Jenna Laine tweets.

Playing sparingly on offense, Edmonds gained 257 yards from scrimmage on 63 touches last season. This came with an injury interruption, but the Bucs reinserted the former Cardinals fourth-rounder into their RB rotation down the stretch. Edmonds played 35 playoff snaps and logged 14 touches.

The Dolphins signed Edmonds to a two-year, $12MM deal in 2022 but shipped him to the Broncos as salary filler in the Bradley Chubb trade. Changing coaches again in 2023, the Broncos cut Edmonds to create cap space in Sean Payton’s first offseason. Edmonds, 27, played on a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum last season.

Edmonds posted 850- and 903-yard seasons (from scrimmage) during his final two Cardinals offerings but has not been a regular back anywhere else. The Bucs still think enough of the Fordham alum to keep him in a new offense, as Liam Coen is stepping in for Dave Canales.

Bucs Activate Chase Edmonds From IR

October 25th, 2023 at 12:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

OCTOBER 25: Edmonds will come off IR ahead of Thursday night’s Bills matchup, the Bucs announced. The passing-down back will make a quick return from an MCL sprain, missing the minimum four games. Edmonds will be Tampa Bay’s first IR activation this season. To make room on their 53-man roster, the Bucs waived cornerback Derrek Pitts.

OCTOBER 23: The Buccaneers have struggled in the run game this year, but reinforcements in the backfield could be coming soon. Chase Edmonds was designated for return from injured reserve, the team announced on Monday.

The move opens Edmonds’ 21-day practice window. He must be activated within that span to avoid reverting to season-ending IR. With Tampa Bay set to play on Thursday night, however, it will be interesting to see if he is brought back in time for Week 8.

Edmonds suffered an MCL sprain in Week 2, and he has been sidelined ever since. His IR stint forced him to miss a minimum of four games, and his absence has left the Buccaneers without an experienced option in the backfield. Edmonds, 27, has played 72 games in his career, one which included time in Arizona, Miami and Denver prior to this season.

The Buccaneers signed the former fourth-rounder to a league minimum deal after he was released by the Broncos, giving him the opportunity to carve out a role in a Tampa backfield which faced plenty question marks entering the season. Improving the ground game was a source for improvement compared to last season, but so far the Bucs rank 29th in the league with an average of just under 78 rushing yards per game. 2022 third-rounder Rachaad White comfortably leads the team in rushing, 234 yards ahead of the next-closest running back (Ke’Shawn Vaughn).

Bringing back Edmonds – who received only two touches in each of his games this season – will use the first of Tampa Bay’s eight allocated IR activations. He will aim to give the team another option in the running game, an area of the offense which, like in 2022, still has plenty of room for improvement.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/20/23

September 20th, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Steelers placing Anthony McFarland on IR left them with two active-roster running backs. Igwebuike will step in as Pittsburgh’s third-stringer behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Because the Steelers signed Igwebuike off another team’s practice squad, they must keep him on their active roster for at least three weeks.

Coming back to the Saints after spending the offseason and training camp with the Broncos, Jones scored two touchdowns in New Orleans’ Monday-night win over Carolina. But the Saints had used a gameday elevation transaction to bump the veteran backup to the active roster. Wednesday’s move makes Jones an official part of the Saints’ 53-man unit.

Knight caught on with the Lions’ practice squad shortly after the Jets waived him. With David Montgomery likely to miss time, Knight will join Jahmyr Gibbs and Craig Reynolds as the backs on Detroit’s 53-man roster. A 2022 UDFA, Knight saw time following Breece Hall‘s ACL tear last season but could not stick on the Jets’ roster after the AFC East team’s Dalvin Cook addition.

Buccaneers RB Chase Edmonds Facing Multi-Week Absence

September 18th, 2023 at 11:57am CST by Adam La Rose

The Buccaneers improved to 2-0 on Sunday, but their running backs room was dealt a blow in the process. Chase Edmonds suffered an MCL sprain, reports NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Schultz notes that Edmonds suffered a grade 2 sprain, and will miss between four and six weeks as a result. That timeline would open the door to a stint on injured reserve for the 27-year-old. Players placed on IR are required to miss at least four weeks.

Edmonds joined the Buccaneers on a one-year deal worth the league minimum following his release from the Broncos. Denver acquired him at the trade deadline from the Dolphins, as he was part of the package Miami sent in the Bradley Chubb deal. That move marked an end to Edmonds’ time in South Beach, one which began on a two-year, $12MM contract in free agency. The former fourth-rounder earned that pact in free agency following his time with the Cardinals.

Edmonds saw an incremental uptick in playing time during each of his seasons in Arizona, recording a career-best 592 rushing yards (on an average of 5.1 per carry) in 2021. His performances with the Dolphins and Broncos after that failed to match that production, making it little surprise that he was a Broncos cap casualty this offseason. His Tampa Bay deal allowed him the opportunity to take on a backup role in the aftermath of Leonard Fournette‘s release request being granted, something which paved the way for 2022 third-rounder Rachaad White to take on starting duties from the outset of the 2023 season.

Tampa Bay has White, as well as undrafted rookie Sean Tucker and former third-rounder Ke’Shawn Vaughn in place as healthy options in the backfield. The latter has yet to suit up this year, but that could change in the wake of Edmonds’ injury. Head coach Todd Bowles said, via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman, the team currently plans to rely on its in-house options at the RB spot. That group of backs will look to carry on the Buccaneers’ early success while Edmonds is sidelined for an extended stretch.

NFC South Notes: Saints, Panthers, Edmonds

August 22nd, 2023 at 5:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints made a key tweak to their front office Tuesday, announcing Khai Harley will move into the assistant GM role. Harley has been with the Saints for 16 years, most recently serving as the team’s VP of football administration. Mickey Loomis has credited Harley as being one of the chief architects behind the franchise’s aggressive strategy with regards to the salary cap. Omar Khan used this background to become the Steelers’ GM, and Harley rising to this post may put him on the radar for interviews.

New Orleans also Scott Kuhn as director of football administration, Zach Stuart as director of analytics and Rishi Desai as a scouting assistant. Gaining extensive experience on the analytics front, Kuhn spent 16 years with the Vikings. Stuart spent the past three years as the Jets’ analytics coordinator. Additionally, former safety Matt Giordano is now an assistant on Dennis Allen‘s staff. Giordano, 40, spent one season with the Saints (2010); the 30-game starter also played for the Colts, Packers, Raiders and Rams from 2005-13. Giordano had spent six seasons as head coach of Buchanan High School in his native Fresno, concluding that tenure after the 2021 season.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

  • Although Payton Turner carries a first-round pedigree, he is unlikely to beat out Carl Granderson for the starting role Marcus Davenport vacated this offseason. The Saints are more likely to turn to Granderson — a former UDFA — than Turner opposite Cameron Jordan, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com notes. Granderson, 26, has stood out in training camp and has two five-plus-sack seasons over the past three years. Turner entered camp after two iffy years, and while the Saints are likely to give the 2021 first-rounder another shot, a rotational role looks to be how this will play out.
  • Jordan’s two-year, $27.5MM Saints extension is fully guaranteed, and it will also include sack incentives. Jordan can pick up an extra $500K with a 10-sack season this year, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets. The 34-year-old defensive end can add $250K by reaching $250K in 2024 and 2025. Sitting 23rd on the official sack list (115.5), Jordan has six double-digit sack slates on his resume — including a 12.5-sack showing in 2021.
  • Frank Reich is in place as the Panthers‘ play-caller to start his HC tenure, but OC Thomas Brown continues to loom as a future option for the post. The first-year Carolina HC said the long-term goal remains to make Brown the play-caller, Darin Gantt of Panthers.com tweets. This is Brown’s first OC post, but he has already booked HC interviews and received interest from other teams regarding their respective OC jobs. A former Rams assistant, Brown earning play-calling responsibilities this year would enhance his case for a top coaching job.
  • Deion Jones‘ one-year Panthers agreement is worth $1.17MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. That doubles as the veteran minimum, though Wilson adds the former Falcons mainstay will receive a $75K bonus for making the Panthers’ 53-man roster. The Falcons gave Jones a four-year, $57MM extension before the 2019 season, but the team cut bait on that deal before the 2022 trade deadline. The Browns also removed a year from Jones’ contract, and scant interest came his way this offseason. This will be a key year for the 29-year-old linebacker.
  • The Panthers included four void years in Justin Houston‘s contract, dropping his cap hit to $2.13MM, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Houston signed a fully guaranteed one-year, $6MM deal earlier this month. The contract will include sack incentives, with Wilson adding Houston will receive $500K by reaching 11 sacks and could earn another $500K by hitting 12 (Twitter link). These are classified as not likely to be earned; Houston has one 11-sack season since 2015.
  • As the Buccaneers prepare to use Rachaad White as their starting running back, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times notes offseason addition Chase Edmonds is locked into the third-down role. Edmonds, who received just $153K guaranteed on a one-year Bucs deal, operated as a solid pass catcher for the Cardinals but is coming off a down year. The Dolphins included him as salary filler in the Bradley Chubb trade, and the Broncos made him a cap casualty in March.

RB Chase Edmonds To Join Buccaneers

March 16th, 2023 at 10:03am CST by Sam Robinson

The running back market continues to move, and a recently released ball-carrier now has a new home. Chase Edmonds is heading back to Florida, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com noting the Buccaneers are signing him.

Edmonds, whom the Broncos cut months after acquiring him from the Dolphins, agreed to terms on a one-year Bucs deal Thursday morning (Twitter link). Following Leonard Fournette‘s release, Edmonds is now in line to pair with second-year back Rachaad White in Tampa.

This will be a fit-based signing, as Fox Sports’ Greg Auman tweets Edmonds is joining the Bucs on a league-minimum deal. This comes a year after the Dolphins signed him to a two-year, $12MM contract. The Broncos saved nearly $6MM in cap space by cutting Edmonds, adding to Denver’s funds ahead of a busy free agency week. They acquired him in the Bradley Chubb trade, picking up the running back’s salary after the Dolphins needed to shed it from their payroll to clear space for the edge rusher’s fifth-year option money.

Edmonds will turn 27 in May but is coming off a low-workload season; he logged just 84 touches in 2022. The Dolphins did not end up receiving much in the way of production from the ex-Cardinals starter; Edmonds averaged 2.9 yards per carry with Miami. The Fordham product fared better in Denver, sporting a 4.8-yard average for a team that by that point was starting a few backups along the offensive line.

The Cardinals started Edmonds over James Conner for most of the 2021 season, when the former fourth-round pick totaled a career-high 903 yards from scrimmage. Edmonds teamed with transition-tagged Kenyan Drake in 2020 and reached 850 scrimmage yards, scoring a career-most five touchdowns. Twice averaging 5.1 yards per carry in a season — the second such instance (2021) coming on 116 totes — Edmonds should still have some tread on his tires. He has only taken 401 handoffs in five pro seasons.

The Bucs ranked last on the ground in 2022, so White and Edmonds may face an uphill battle. Tampa Bay has not made any significant augmentations up front just yet, though it did re-sign guard Aaron Stinnie, who was lost for the 2022 season. The team cut eight-year left tackle Donovan Smith, viewing Tristan Wirfs as a candidate to switch sides. Ryan Jensen staying healthy also stands to improve the Bucs’ rushing attack.

Broncos To Cut Chase Edmonds, Ronald Darby

March 10th, 2023 at 2:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Broncos cost-clearing moves are commencing. They are cutting Chase Edmonds, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Part of the Bradley Chubb trade last year, Edmonds will head straight to free agency as a vested veteran.

This has long been one of the expected moves the team can make to create cap space, and $5.9MM in savings will emerge as a result. A former Cardinals regular, Edmonds did not have a chance to make much of an impact in Denver.

The Broncos are also releasing Ronald Darby, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The Darby transaction will lead to more savings for the AFC West franchise. Darby was set to earn $12.7MM in base salary next season; Denver will save $9.6MM by releasing the veteran cornerback.

The Dolphins sent over Edmonds in the Chubb deal for salary purposes, offloading the two-year, $12.1MM contract they authorized in free agency last year. That deal brought the Broncos a first-round pick, which the team ended up sending to the Saints in exchange for Sean Payton‘s rights. During an injury-abbreviated stint, Edmonds ended up totaling just 26 carries as a Bronco. He did perform better in Denver compared to his Miami work (2.9 yards per carry on 42 totes), but the former Cardinal starter will hit free agency at a bad time. Several starter-caliber backs join Edmonds on the market this year, creating a buyer’s environment at a position in which not too many teams figure to allocate notable resources.

Denver made a more notable investment in Darby back in 2021, giving him a three-year deal worth $30MM. This was one of GM George Paton‘s first signings. While Darby played well when available, the 30-year-old cover man could not shake the injury issues that plagued him prior to his Colorado trip. Darby missed six games for the Broncos in 2021 and suffered a torn ACL five games into the ’22 season.

Dealing with injuries to numerous starters last season, the Broncos encountered a brutal stretch during a four-day October stretch. They lost Darby, Garett Bolles and Javonte Williams to season-ending injuries between a Week 4 loss to the Raiders and an ugly Week 5 loss to the Colts. That created a need in the backfield, with Latavius Murray pitching in to fill it as well.

Despite being 32 and on a free agent market with a number of younger backs, Murray may have a path back to Denver. Payton coached him in New Orleans and spoke fondly of the veteran during interviews recently. Murray returning on a low-cost deal as a backup/Williams insurance option may end up coming to pass, though the Broncos will probably seek out a better insurance option alongside Murray in the event their starter is not ready to return from his ACL tear to start the season.

Following Darby’s injury, the Broncos turned to fourth-round rookie Damarri Mathis opposite All-Pro Patrick Surtain II. While cornerback may end up being a need area in Denver, the team does have slot man K’Waun Williams under contract as well. A new defensive coordinator — Vance Joseph — being in place, however, will probably lead to the Broncos looking around at the position this offseason. With no picks in the first or second rounds, the Broncos figure to be active in free agency.

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