3 reasons why Cardinals RB Chase Edmonds will be a Pro Bowler in 2021
By Sion Fawkes
Edmonds has displayed potential on the ground
In 2020, Chase Edmonds played as one of the better reserve running backs in the NFL, behind Kenyan Drake.
When Edmonds split time with Drake as the RB2, he averaged four or more yards per carry in 12 out of a possible 16 games. Sure, he did not carry the ball often in many of those contests, but he showed that he could pick up big chunks of yards when trusted with the ball.
Despite the limited sample size, his carries per game increased from 4.6 in 2019 to 6.1 in 2020. He also almost doubled his first down total, producing 22 first downs in 2020, as opposed to a total of 26 in both 2018 and 2019 combined.
Some fans may point out that when the Cardinals thrust Edmonds into the No. 1 running back role when Drake went down with an injury last season, he averaged just 2.8 yards per carry on 70 yards.
However, let’s flashback to 2019, when Edmonds played the same role in Week 7 against the Giants and he rushed 27 times for 126 yards and three touchdowns.
So Edmonds has shown us that he can carry the ball 20 to 30 times per matchup and pick up ample yards on the ground. However, he is also a hybrid type of running back who doesn’t need to produce 4.5 to five yards per carry game in and game out to become a worthy Pro Bowl candidate.