The offseason is a time for hope — for players, for teams. Everyone envisions a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
That was Chase Edmonds’ state of mind exactly two years ago.
Something special was brewing in Miami with new head coach Mike McDaniel, quaterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Edmonds was positioned as the explosive running back central to it all. Go Long traveled to Florida the summer of 2022 to sit down with Edmonds at Dolphins HQ. With emotional detail, he guided readers through a turbulent life, from becoming a father at 18 years old to an extreme state of depression in college when an ankle injury threatened to crush his dreams to the expected takeover in South Florida.
But instead of breaking out as an NFL star, Edmonds started to disappear like countless running backs before him. He rushed for only 2.9 yards per carry and dropped four passes on 17 targets, including a third-and-goal ball in the end zone vs. Cincinnati on national TV. The Dolphins traded Edmonds to the Denver Broncos. After experiencing some success on a bad team (4.8 ypc), he was then released.
Edmonds signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2023 season, suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and — finally — his luck began to turn.
The 5-foot-9, 207-pounder from Harrisburg, Pa., found a role as a change-of-pace back to starter Rachaad White and a needed leader in the locker room. The Bucs made a surprise run to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs and decided to run it back with a slew of re-signings. Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Lavonte David, Antoine Winfield (tag) and Edmonds are all back in 2024. The implication is clear: Tampa Bay expects to compete.
We catch up again with Edmonds to learn what happened the last two years.
He’s aiming to play a full decade in the NFL. Not bad for a small running back from Fordham University.
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Here is the written Q&A if you’d prefer to read.
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ICYMI, from 2022:
The Beautiful Mind of Chase Edmonds, Part I: 'I was scared shitless’
The Beautiful Mind of Chase Edmonds, Part II: 'It’s over for me'
The Beautiful Mind of Chase Edmonds, Part III: ‘A match made in heaven’
Bucs features:
'How the hell did I get here?' Chase Edmonds on 'rage' in Miami, rebirth in Tampa, QB Baker Mayfield & his plan to play 10 years