The Cardinals running back competition might not be much of a competition after all. Adam H. Beasley of ProFootballNetwork.com writes that the “battle at running back might be a battle in name only,” with Chase Edmonds expected to earn the starting gig.
Edmonds, a 2018 fourth-round pick out of Fordham, had a career season in 2020, finishing with 850 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns. However, he mostly platooned with Kenyan Drake, and while the veteran may have left Arizona this past offseason, the team still replaced him with former Steelers starter James Conner.
However, Conner dealt with a long list of injuries during his stint with Pittsburgh, and sources tell Beasley that the free agent addition was already banged up at the beginning of minicamp. While it was assumed that Conner would be replacing Drake, his injury concerns could result in him serving primarily as a backup in 2021. Plus, as Beasley notes, the organization’s decision to pass on a running back during this year’s draft (coupled with Conner’s low salary) is a strong indication that they’re committed to Edmonds as their starter.
Really, the competition in the Cardinals running back room will come toward the end of the depth chart. Behind Edmonds and Conner, the likes of Jonathan Ward, Eno Benjamin, Tavien Feaster, and Khalfani Muhammad are competing for only a couple of roster spots.
Eno!!
Yeah, I don’t see Edmonds being a lead back in any case other than Conner being injured. However, I also don’t see Conner as being healthy enough to play the volume role for which he is most suited. Ideally, Conner would run on 1st and 2nd and Edmonds mixed in on 3rd and interspersed in between on random packages, but Conner’s availability has become a big question mark. I personally don’t see Edmonds as much more than a complimentary back, but Arizona is not really a ground and pound team to begin with. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them carry a couple of those other cheap backs behind Conner and Edmonds and just a run a true platoon. Whomever catches the ball and pass protects best out of those guys likely will get the nod.
Ever check out Edmond’s stats at Fordham?
Well, with all due respect, that’s Fordham. This is the NFL. Plenty of “best players in the country/school history” types barely scrape by on rosters, let alone become stars.
Montee Ball set an NCAA touchdown record at Wisconsin. He didn’t score ten in the NFL and lasted five years.