Chase Edmonds brings change of pace to Dolphins’ RB room

Mike McDaniel has found his running back.

The Miami Dolphins have reached an agreement on a two-year deal with Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds, per his agent Drew Rosenhaus. The contract is worth $12.6 million, with $6.1 million guaranteed.

Edmonds will be traveling eastwards to Miami after enjoying a successful stint with Arizona, rushing for 1551 yards and compiling 921 receiving yards in his four seasons with the Cardinals, who selected him with the 134th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Edmonds averaged 5.1 yards per carry in 2021, ranking sixth in the NFL in that statistic among running backs with over 100 carries.

The Fordham collegiate standout brings the intelligence, vision and burst that is necessary to excel in McDaniel’s outside/wide zone run scheme. Running this type of scheme requires a patient running back who knows when he should accelerate through lanes created by his blockers, and Edmonds is just that.

New Dolphins RB Chase Edmonds has the patience and burst to excel in an outside/wide zone run scheme. #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/I7MHrd5ON1

— Luke Chaney (@luke_chaney4) March 14, 2022

Edmonds will also pose a threat in the passing game, as his sure hands provided a safety blanket for Kyler Murray out of Arizona’s backfield. He can also line up as a receiver, mostly in the slot. His versatility is evident and will be very useful in McDaniel’s offense that prides itself on creativity.

Chase Edmonds making magic happen on an angle route. #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/PEVqtXvihJ

— Luke Chaney (@luke_chaney4) March 14, 2022

The biggest concern that many have regarding Edmonds is his injury history. He missed five games last season and eight games over the last three seasons.

The Cardinals, missing out on Edmonds, resigned James Conner to a three-year deal. Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury valued and wanted to bring back both running backs.

“They both earned good deals as far as I’m concerned,” Kingsbury said. “I hope that we can afford both guys because they both had fantastic seasons and they deserve to get nice contracts. But I would love to have them both back.”

Last season, Edmonds led Arizona’s running backs in yards per carry, receptions per game and receiving yards per game.

Combining his pass-catching skills with his ability to hold his own in pass-protection, Edmonds gives Miami a reliable third-down running back that bolsters its offense in an abundance of ways.