The Miami Dolphins have finally taken the running back position seriously. Just minutes into the legal tampering period, ESPN first reported they reached a two-year, $12.6 million contract with Cardinals free agent Chase Edmonds. He instantly becomes the best running back for a team that has tried to get by on the cheap in recent years. We grade the move and provide further insight into the signing.
Grading the Chase Edmonds’ contract with the Miami Dolphins
Edmonds joins the Dolphins after rushing for a career-high 592 yards and 2 touchdowns in an injury-shortened 2021 season. He missed a total of five games last year with shoulder, ankle, and rib injuries. He has never proven that he can be a featured back, but the Dolphins aren’t paying him to be one.
Gonna miss going to war w/ my guy @ChaseEdmonds22… Miami got a dawg- 🙏🏽🤞🏽
— Kyler Murray (@K1) March 14, 2022
New Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel surely sees a role for him — perhaps similar to the way he used Jeff Wilson in San Francisco. Edmonds is a dual-threat out of the backfield, able to run the ball efficiently (4.7 yards per attempt in his career) and catch the ball with dependability (128 career receptions, 78% catch rate).
The way to view this signing is he’s an added piece, not the featured piece, to the Dolphins’ running back room, which could still use an alpha dog. The other running backs on the Miami Dolphins’ roster in 2022? Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed, and Gerrid Doaks. It wouldn’t at all be surprising if the Dolphins targeted a back relatively early in the draft. In fact, it would be a mistake if they did not. Options in the first two days include Iowa State’s Breece Hall, Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller, and Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III.
Grading the Chase Edmonds Signing: B