Contract Terms
Multiple reports say Gus Edwards will sign a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. The financials are a little more complicated to come by, as Edwards cannot sign the deal until Wednesday, but rumors hint at around $3.5 million per year.
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Fantasy Football Impact
While the Chargers did not re-sign Austin Ekeler, their lead-back role was not vacant long. Gus Edwards saw a familiar face in new Chargers' offensive coordinator Greg Roman and inked a two-year deal with Los Angeles. It's fair to say that Ekeler and Edwards' play styles could not be more different, but Edwards knows Roman's system and has played well with him.
Gus Edwards has been in the league since 2018 and, until last year, had played every season with Greg Roman as his coach in some capacity. Interestingly, last season was the best of Edwards' career so far, but that had a lot more to do with him being the only healthy back in Baltimore for most of the year.
During his four-year stint with Roman, Edwards carried the ball 501 times for 2585 yards, an outstanding 5.16 yards per carry for a man his size. He also scored 13 touchdowns, a number he matched last year alone. Edwards was effective when healthy under Roman. Then, last season, Edwards showed us what he could do with a more significant workload. In 2023, he carried the ball 198 times for 810 yards and 13 touchdowns, all career highs.
The Chargers will be more balanced than we have seen in the past. The team has tended to be pass-heavy, while Harbaugh and Roman prefer to run the ball. With a quarterback like Justin Herbert, you cannot abandon the pass, but they will use the ground game and use it well. Roman was notorious for finishing in the Top 5 in almost all rushing categories in Baltimore. That bodes well for Edwards, and repeating what he did last season is not out of the question. That would far exceed his current RB57 slot in our early 2024 draft rankings.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
The Ravens did not wait long to move from Edwards, signing Derrick Henry. Something tells me they'll be just fine. And the only person affected by this move in Los Angeles is Isaiah Spiller, who has not done much since joining the league in 2022. Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley, the Chargers' lead backs from 2023, were already hitting free agency, and Ekeler signed with the Washington Commanders.
Edwards filled the gap left by Ekeler, and Henry filled the gap left by Edwards. The fallout was minimized quickly. The Chargers are a favorite to land a running back in the April's Draft, so Edwards will likely have some competition soon.
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Overview
Gus Edwards is signing a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. He reunites with former offensive coordinator Greg Roman and will be the lead back in an offense that lost Austin Ekeler in free agency.