Bucs Sign Veteran RB

No, the Bucs will not sign former Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott to team up with Rachaad White and Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the Tampa Bay backfield. Instead, the team signed veteran Chase Edmonds, who played for Miami and Denver last year. ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced 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 at Arizona that season and has 18 career starts.

The Fordham product is also a great receiver outside 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 racked up 53 catches for 402 yards (7.6 avg) and four touchdowns.

Chase Edmonds is an inexpensive option for veterans For Bucks

Pursue Edmonds, 27, signed a one-year contract worth the league minimum of $1.08 million. His signing is in line with the Bucs’ stated goal of making good signings this season as the team tries to work its way out of a salary cap caused in part by $35 million in dead money from Tom Brady’s contract.

Edmonds is a chopping, cut-throat runner, whose rushing style should fit well into Tampa Bay’s new offense. New offensive coordinator Dave Canales will be shooting a lot of wide zone play, which should play into Edmonds’ strengths. This is another good signing by the Bucs this offseason, who have a great run in free agency despite limited cap resources.

The Bucs really wanted Edmonds on a free shift last year, but instead re-signed Leonard Fournette to a three-year deal due to his familiarity with Brady and the offense. Fournette is being released this off-season due to his underpowered 2022 season and to clear about $3.5 million in cap space. The Bucs are also switching from veteran free agent Giovani Bernard.

Despite a report in the Tampa Bay Times, the Bucs have no interest in Elliott, who played for new Dallas Bucs running backs coach Skip Peete. The Bucs can’t afford Elliott, who has a lot more wear and tear on his body after running over 8,000 yards in his career and accumulating over 10,000 yards in total.