Ravens GM Eric DeCosta: RB Gus Edwards will be on team in 2021 ‘one way or the other’
Get your gas can ready because Gus “The Bus” Edwards is coming back to Baltimore in 2021. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta made the declaration during a pre-free-agency press conference on Tuesday, saying “Gus is going to be on the team, one way or the other.”
Though Edwards is one of the Ravens’ pending free agents, he’s a restricted free agent. That means Baltimore can apply one of several different tenders on him, locking him in town for another year if they can’t work out a long-term extension.
Since Edwards originally went undrafted, it’s likely the Ravens will use either a first- or second-round tender on him this offseason. While the 2021 NFL salary cap hasn’t formally been set yet, Over The Cap projects a first-round tender will cost $4.766 million while the second-round tender will be $3.384 million. Ideally, Baltimore would want to lock Edwards up to a contract extension, allowing them to keep his 2021 cap hit lower as they deal with a reduced salary cap and a list of key needs this offseason.
Though the Ravens kept four running backs on the roster last season, Edwards was one of their shining stars. He accounted for 723 rushing yards and six rushing touchdown on 144 attempts, adding another 129 receiving yards on nine catches as a part of a three-headed backfield in 2020. Over three seasons in Baltimore, Edwards has put up 2,152 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 414 carries, averaging 5.2 yards-per-attempt.
Considering the Ravens have made it clear they’re a run-first offense and they released Mark Ingram at the end of last season, bringing back Edwards “one way or the other” is a no-brainer.
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