Chase Edmonds may have played last down with the Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals may ultimately decide that James Conner is a better option at the running back spot than Chase Edmonds.

For the past four seasons, the Arizona Cardinals have been pleasantly surprised by a running back they drafted out of Fordham University. Chase Edmonds has been a solid contributor for the organization, but his days in Arizona could soon be coming to an end.

When free agency gets underway in March, Edmonds will be just one of a plethora of Cardinals who’ll be looking for new contracts. There was a time when re-signing the speedy ball-carrier seemed like a no-brainer, but a free-agent addition from last year has put Edmonds’ future with the Redbirds in doubt.

James Conner more than exceeded expectations during his first campaign with the Cards. The former member of the Pittsburgh Steelers amassed an impressive 1,127 yards from scrimmage in his 15 appearances (six starts) for the squad and tallied an eye-popping 18 total touchdowns as well.

By comparison, Edmonds rushed for 592 yards and two scores in 12 games (11 starts), and he also added 43 receptions for another 311 yards for Arizona. Decent numbers, but the touchdown-differential (+16) that favored Conner can not be overlooked.

Chase Edmonds may not be offered a deal by the Arizona Cardinals in 2022

The Cardinals front office will have a limited amount of salary-cap space to work with in 2022. As a result, general manager Steve Keim will have some difficult decisions to make in the coming months. The team would almost certainly prefer to retain both Edmonds and Conner, but the odds of that happening are extremely low.

Edmonds is a finesse-type of runner who utilizes his speed and quickness to navigate his way through opposing defenses. Conner is a battering ram who is outstanding in short-yardage situations. The 6-foot-1, 233-pounder also uses a mixture of power and speed to pick up significant chunks of real estate for the “Air Raid” offense.

Ultimately, Edmonds may be permitted to take his talents elsewhere. The time that the 25-year-old back spent in the desert will be greatly appreciated, but there’s a fairly good possibility that Edmonds will be wearing a different uniform next fall.