Jobless former Ravens fan favorite may be forced into early retirement

As the Baltimore Ravens prepare for training camp, like every other franchise at the moment, there is still a fairly-large free agent pool which remains. The trouble is, not all of them are going to get a job in the coming days.

There is even a portion of them who might not end up getting another job and could be forced to hang up the cleats. As of right now, one of the names who could be in that group includes former Ravens running back Gus Edwards.

The "Gus Bus," who spent last season with the Los Angeles Chargers, was used sparingly in his only year with the team and wound up with a career-low 3.6 yards per carry. But, if you look a little closer, Edwards' efficiency has been slowly diminishing for years now.

Based on recent history, Gus Edwards' career very well could be done

In 2019, Edwards enjoyed a career-best 5.3 yards per tote. From there, this number went down to an even 5.0 yards per carry for the following two full seasons (he missed 2021 due to injury).

Then, his final season in Baltimore, Edwards plummeted down to 4.1 yards per carry. His success rate also fell to a career-low 54 percent, per Pro Football Reference.

Now, his 13 rushing touchdowns in 2023 might have overshadowed the overall numbers that continued to dwindle. But, it appears as though the Ravens got out at just the right time. Running backs only have a certain shelf life (unless their name is Derrick Henry, obviously).

For Edwards, the writing looks to be on the wall. Plenty of other veteran running backs have taken advantage of a soaring free agent market at the position, but Edwards' production has not warranted a decent contract, let alone another deal, period.

He has seen the Ravens move on in a big way with Henry. Meanwhile, the Chargers added Najee Harris and drafted Omarion Hampton after releasing Edwards altogether. The rest of the league appears to have moved on as well, with it being hard to find a spot that makes sense for an aging veteran like Edwards.

Is it over? It just might be.

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