Whoever is under center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023 to begin the post-Tom Brady era, he will have one more reliable set of hands to which to distribute the football.
On Monday, the Buccaneers signed free agent running back Chase Edmonds, most recently of the Denver Broncos, to a one-year deal. He joins incumbent starter Rachaad White in Tampa Bay's backfield, along with reserves Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Patrick Laird. The Buccaneers released Leonard Fournette, their leading rusher in 2022, last Friday.
Before splitting last season between Miami and Denver, Edmonds spent his first four NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and proved productive both as a runner and a pass-catcher. A fourth-round pick out of Fordham in 2018, he ran for 1,551 yards and caught 128 passes for 921 yards in that span while scoring a total of 14 touchdowns. Edmonds averaged 4.7 yards per carry and 7.2 yards per reception for Arizona. He was the Cardinals' primary starter in 2021, opening 11 of the 12 games in which he played and notching a career-high 903 yards from scrimmage.
In 2022, Edmonds signed with the Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent, joining a backfield that also included Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson and Salvon Ahmed. He ran 42 times for 120 yards and caught 10 passes for 96 yards for Miami before being traded to Denver on November 1. A high ankle sprain forced him to injured reserve after just two appearances for the Broncos but he returned to play in the last three games and finished with a career-best 5.8 yards per touch.
Overall, Edmonds has logged 401 carries for 1,796 yards and 11 touchdowns while hauling in 144 passes for 1,078 yards and six more scores.
Because Edmonds was released by the Broncos on March 13, his signing will not factor into the compensatory pick formula for the Buccaneers in 2024.
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