Lost in the hoopla of the Bradley Chubb trade last week was the fact that the Denver Broncos also acquired running back Chase Edmonds from the Miami Dolphins in addition to draft picks.
The trade has Broncos fans (and fantasy football managers) now wondering what kind of role Edmonds will have in Denver’s offense.
Due to injured reserve rules, Mike Boone will have to sit out at least two more games after Denver’s bye. That presumably makes Edmonds at least the third-string running back by default, at least for the time being.
Because he is a younger running back with upside, some fans and pundits have speculated that Edmonds and Latavius Murray could emerge as the team’s top two backs with Melvin Gordon being related to the bench.
During his post-trade deadline press conference last week, general manager George Paton insisted that is not the case.
“It doesn’t affect Melvin at all,” Paton said last week. “It just brings more competition. I think Edmonds complements what we have. He’s a little different than what we have in Melvin. We like Melvin and he’s still going to be our starter. He and Latavius will rotate. This will be another piece to the puzzle. This will be a good compliment.”
Complicating the projected depth chart is Marlon Mack, who was signed by Denver off the San Francisco 49ers’ practice squad last week. If Paton’s comments are truthful, it seems that Gordon and Murray will be the top two backs with Edmonds and Mack below them on the depth chart.
So for now, Edmonds does not seem poised to have a very big role. Backfield rotations can change quickly, though, so we’ll be watching the team’s running back snaps going forward.
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