Ravens could lose Gus Edwards to AFC foe due to Baltimore connections

Baltimore Ravens running back Gus Edwards might need to prepare for a new team in 2024, as the combination of Eric DeCosta placing other free agents above him in the proverbial pecking order and the number of teams looking for RB upgrades will create a robust amount of interest for him.

Amid reports that Baltimore could be targeting a running back with more pedigree, like Derrick Henry or Saquon Barkley, on the free agent market, an Edwards return is looking less likely with each passing week. The good news for Edwards is that he will have a market after a fairly impressive season in which he amassed 13 touchdowns on the ground

One team that makes a ton of sense for him (once they get done shedding some of their worst contracts) is the Los Angeles Chargers, now run by a GM in Joe Hortiz, who was plucked right from the Ravens front office. Very few people in the NFL know Edwards in the way Hortiz does.

With Hortiz running the show in LA and much-maligned Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman being hired to the same position, the Chargers need to get some extra physicality in their offense makes them a prime landing spot for a back in Edwards looking for a big payday.

Baltimore Ravens could lose RB Gus Edwards to Chargers in free agency

Even with one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Justin Herbert, the hiring of Jim Harbaugh as head coach and Roman as OC signals that LA will run the ball a ton. It was Roman who gave the undrafted Edwards some of his first cracks in the NFL.

The Chargers seem unlikely to retain Austin Ekeler, and Edwards' power running seems like an ideal complement to a Los Angeles running scheme that will be based on controlling the line of scrimmage with the ground game. The cash-strapped Chargers won't have to pay him a ton to nab their new starting back.

With Baltimore in need of every spare cent lying around as they try to retain studs like Justin Madubuike and Kevin Zeitler while also fishing for RB upgrades, the odds of an Edwards return are unlikely. Even with next to no receiving value, Edwards thrived in Baltimore's offense.

The Chargers have been the Herbert show for too long, which played a part in why the team started to regress. Harbaugh and Hortiz might not be able to spend a ton this offseason, but this FO will look to make sure a dynamo like Edwards is well compensated.