Report: Chargers hosted free agent J.K. Dobbins on visit

The Chargers signed Gus Edwards early in free agency, and now they’re eyeing another former Raven as they continue to build the backfield.

The Chargers hosted free agent running back J.K. Dobbins on a visit, according to Cards Wire’s Howard Balzer.

Los Angeles signed Gus Edwards early in free agency, and now they’re eyeing another former Raven as they continue to build the backfield.

Dobbins was a second-round pick by Baltimore in the 2020 NFL draft and made early contributions. He finished his rookie season with 925 total yards and nine touchdowns.

The following season, Dobbins was wiped out by a torn ACL. He missed half of the 2022 season with another knee injury.

Dobbins was looking to make a turnaround in 2023, but he sustained a torn Achilles in Week 1.

Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who repaired Dobbins’ Achilles, recently cleared him for all football activities.

ElAttrache noted that Dobbins looks “outstanding” after his rehab.

Dobbins would be a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Chargers. While he’s dealt with a multitude of injuries throughout his pro career, he is still 25 years old, has proven himself when healthy, and is familiar with Greg Roman’s offense.

NFL Power Rankings: Where do the Chargers land after free agency?

With free agency in the rearview, here’s a look at where the Chargers stand in the power rankings after free agency.

NFL free agency has begun to slow down. After the frenzy, Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers are in decent shape, even after moving away from Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. They retained Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack and have made a slew of acquisitions, especially to bolster the running game.

Here is what the national media thinks of Los Angeles after free agency and ahead of the draft.

NFL.com: 16

“This is where I’m bracing for impact. No, you haven’t read this placement wrong — and I’m prepared for the worst. When I last ranked the Chargers, the hiring of Jim Harbaugh was still relatively fresh, and their slot at that time (No. 25) was more about 2023 than the future. The more I think about it, the clearer it is to me that the most difference-making move of any team so far this offseason was Harbaugh joining the Bolts. The guy wins. I don’t know how he’ll do that exactly, but he’ll definitely make this team more mentally tough and disciplined in Year 1. Everywhere he’s been, he’s done that. So prepare yourselves for some narrative-breaking. The Chargers have weathered a tough salary-trimming period, but they came out of it in decent enough shape. And very quietly, they’ve added some Harbaugh-ish signings (Gus Edwards, Will Dissly, Hayden Hurst) to beef up his run game and versatility. Sleep on them at your own peril.”

Sporting News: 16

“The Chargers’ offensive transition to be run-heavy and more efficient with Justin Herbert is in full swing under Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman. They wisely chose to preserve defense (Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa) over offense (Keenan Allen, Mike Williams).”

Pro Football Network: 17

“What a weird offseason for the Chargers. Still riding high from the hiring of Jim Harbaugh, Chargers fans got a reality check when the franchise released Mike Williams and traded Keenan Allen in a pair of cost-cutting moves.”

For The Win: 27

“2024 is a gap year while Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz untangle the mess left behind by the previous regime. An untenable cap situation meant Los Angeles not only had to mostly sit out the start of free agency but also had to say goodbye to Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Oh well. Biting the financial bullet now should ensure a more fruitful future for Justin Herbert.”

The Athletic: 26

“Jim Harbaugh’s first offseason with the Chargers involved cutting a lot of salary, which is why Allen and Williams are gone and Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack restructured their contracts. Edwards is an interesting addition and plays the power back role Harbaugh prefers better than Ekeler, but the exits outweigh the entrances on the roster so far, and Harbaugh’s first year might not be stellar.”

Joe Hortiz speaks on Chargers’ free agency additions with ties to Ravens

Almost half of the free agents the Chargers added to their roster for the 2024 season have come from the Ravens.

Almost half of the free agents the Chargers added to their roster for the 2024 season have come from the Ravens. General manager Joe Hortiz recruited running back Gus Edwards, center Bradley Bozeman, and tight end Hayden Hurst, all of whom played under him during his tenure with Baltimore. 

“All three of those guys, I know what we’re getting with them,” Hortiz said.

They were inevitably ‘a natural fit,’ according to Hortiz. 

Edwards is slated to be the Bolts’ top running back. He’s a physical addition to the offense. In 2023, he ran for 810 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. 

“I think specifically with Gus, l’ve seen him deal with the adversity of the [ACL] injury two years ago and come back from it,” Hortiz said. “Grind, be physical, continue to play the same brand of football he’s always played. Really excited to have him.

“He’s the bell cow, the goal line [guy], the finisher,” Hortiz added. “The right mentality for what we’re looking to do here. I told you we wanted to be bigger, play a physical style of football on both sides of the ball and he helps us do that.”

The connections to the Ravens continue with the Chargers acquiring Hurst and Bozeman who were part of the same 2018 draft class in Baltimore.

“Bradley and Hayden are the same way [as Edwards],” Hortiz said. “I do my best to get to know the players and those are two I knew pretty well from my time in Baltimore.

“Feel very fortunate that the situation presented itself to get both those guys,” Hortiz added. “You get two quality players that know our scheme, that fit our scheme and that fit the mentality.”

Former Scarlet Knight Gus Edwards signed a two-year deal with the LA Chargers

On Monday, former Rutgers running back Gus Edwards signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.

On Monday, former Rutgers running back Gus Edwards signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. After playing five seasons with John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens, Edwards will join John’s brother Jim on the West Coast in 2024.

Edwards started his career at Miami before transferring in 2017 for his final season of eligibility. He was a standout at Rutgers, earning All-Big Ten honors in his lone season with the program.

The report has Edwards signing a two-year deal with the Chargers.

Also, the former-Scarlet Knight will be reunited with former Ravens and current Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman in Los Angeles. Edwards should transition easily to the Chargers’ offense under Roman, who held the same position in Baltimore from 2019-2022.

With former Charger running back Austin Ekeler signing a two-year deal with the Washington Commanders, Edwards can finally have the chance to be a lead back in the NFL.

[lawrence-related id=35824]

 

In the past five seasons with the Ravens, Edwards has recorded 699 carries for 3,395 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Also, the 6-foot-1, 238-pound running back added 30 receptions for 374 yards through the air.

[lawrence-related id=36191,36185]

Edwards appeared in 69 games for Baltimore with his best season coming in 2023. Last season, the former Scarlet Knight logged 198 carries for 810 yards and 13 touchdowns in 17 games, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt.

 

Twitter reacts to Chargers’ expected signing of RB Gus Edwards

Here’s how Twitter is reacting to the Chargers signing Gus Edwards.

The Chargers have agreed to terms with former Ravens running back Gus Edwards on a two-year deal.

Here’s how social media reacted to the newest addition to Los Angeles:

Instant analysis of Chargers’ expected signing of RB Gus Edwards

Here is what the expected signing of Gus Edwards means for the Chargers.

The Chargers’ connections to Baltimore have not been understated, it appears.

With Jim Harbaugh’s brother John coaching the Ravens and GM Joe Hortiz coming over from Baltimore, Chargers fans connected the dots to a number of pending free agents from Baltimore’s playoff squad. On Monday, they nailed one, as former Ravens RB Gus Edwards agreed to terms with Los Angeles on a two-year deal.

Edwards has been a committee back for his entire career, but he rushed for a career-high 810 yards in 2023 despite his per carry averages falling from around 5 to just 4.1 this season. The six-year NFL vet was primarily used as Baltimore’s short yardage back, logging 13 touchdowns in 2023 after combining for 13 in his previous five seasons.

Los Angeles will hope that he can maintain a 700-800-yard clip over the next two seasons. Edwards has hit at least 700 rushing yards in four of his six seasons. In 2021, he missed the entire year with a torn ACL. He played only nine games in the 2022 season, limiting him to only 422 rushing yards. Edwards is also not a premier receiving back, with only 30 career receptions for 374 yards and no touchdowns.

With Edwards in the fold instead of one of free agency’s top backs, the Chargers will likely still target the position somewhat early in this year’s draft to add a more dynamic east-west presence. While new offensive coordinator Greg Roman majors in gap and power runs on the interior, which is where Edwards excels as well, Roman also installed a number of outside zone concepts for runners like JK Dobbins in the later versions of his offenses in Baltimore. Los Angeles lacks a rusher like that on the roster with only Isaiah Spiller and practice squad members returning in 2024.

Blake Corum, Michigan’s star running back widely mocked to the Chargers because of his connection to Harbaugh, does not exactly fit this bill. He’s much more similar to Edwards as a player, and his teammate Donovan Edwards – not in this year’s class – was more of the receiving and outside running option. But a back like USC’s MarShawn Lloyd could be in play as early as the third round. The Chargers hired Lloyd’s college running backs coach Kiel McDonald earlier this offseason to the same position. Other options could include Louisville’s Isaac Guerendo or New Hampshire’s Dylan Laube later in the draft.

Edwards turns 29 in April, a touch above the generally understood running back age curve of 28. But he’s also never been a true feature back, whereas most of the players who hit a wall in their age 28 season typically are. Outside of his torn ACL in 2021, Edwards has also only missed 12 games in five seasons—and a chunk of those were due to ACL recovery that stretched into 2022.

Details on Edwards’ contract were not yet available at the writing of this article, but his salary should not preclude the Chargers from continuing to be active at the margins of free agency.

Chargers agree to terms with RB Gus Edwards

The Chargers have made their first signing of free agency.

The Chargers have made their first signing of free agency, as they agreed to terms with former Ravens running back Gus Edwards, according to several reports.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it’s a two-year deal for Edwards.

Jim Harbaugh said that the Chargers are going to emphasize bolstering the running game, and that starts with bringing in backs to fit Greg Roman’s scheme.

Edwards played for Roman in 2019, 2020 and 2022 when he was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator. In those seasons, Edwards averaged at least five yards per carry. He is coming off his most productive season as a pro, as he finished with 810 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns.

As Los Angeles seeks to efficiently pound the rock, Edwards should be the downhill bruiser the offense needs. Isaiah Spiller is on the roster still. Look for them to turn to the draft to bring in another back.

Gus Edwards agrees to a two-year deal with Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers and new head coach Jim Harbaugh are signing Gus Edwards to a two-year deal

Gus Edwards is taking his talents west, agreeing to a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers and new head coach Jim Harbaugh.

In LA, Edwards will be reunited with former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

DeCosta had high praise for Justice Hill and could run it back with Keaton Mitchell rehabbing a torn ACL.

Edwards led Baltimore’s running backs with a career-high 810 yards and 13 touchdowns and had played for the Ravens his entire five-year career.

Hill set career highs in rushing attempts (84) and yards (387) for the second year and finished with three rushing touchdowns. Hill also exceeded his combined career total in targets (39), receptions (28), and receiving yards (206) and scored his first career receiving touchdown in 16 games.

2024 NFL Free agency: The most underrated offensive players

2024 NFL Free agency: The most underrated offensive players (via @NFL_DougFarrar):

When the new league year begins at 4:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 13, the NFL’s legal tampering period will already have gone on for two days, and several top-tier free agents will be off the market… hypothetically, of course.

There are multiple levels to free agency, of course. The big names and best players are generally picked off as quickly as possible, and then, it’s musical chairs for the best of the rest — and this where smart teams will have their eyes on the ideal value guys who can come in without a great deal of fanfare and solidify positions of need.

These are the players we’re choosing to focus on here. These players are not at the top of most free-agent list for the 2024 league year, but make no mistake — they can be key contributors to any team they’re on.

We’ll begin with the most underrated impending free agents on offense.

10 pending free agents the Ravens should not re-sign

We’re looking at ten pending 2024 NFL free agents that the Baltimore Ravens should not re-sign

Baltimore faces an offseason of change after Mike Macdonald bolted for the Seahawks job. Anthony Weaver landed the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator job, and 26 players, headlined by Patrick Queen, are set to be free agents.

Justin Madubuike landed the franchise tag, leaving Baltimore -$9 million over the salary cap ahead of the early tampering period.

With an urgent offseason underway, we’re looking at ten pending free agents who shouldn’t return.