Gus Edwards Injury Analysis – How Will It Impact the Ravens for 2021?

First J.K. Dobbins went down for the season, then Justice Hill, and now it’s Gus Edwards getting bitten by the injury bug.

According to Adam Schefter, the Baltimore Ravens’ de facto starter for a short while went down with a torn ACL, which will cost him his entire 2021 NFL season.

It’s time to revisit the Ravens’ backfield, to look at potential replacements, as well as how the Gus Edwards injury will impact the team in 2021.

Edwards was in line for a massive role in 2021, but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice on Thursday.

Breaking: The Ravens fear RB Gus Edwards has suffered a season-ending torn ACL during today’s practice, sources tell @AdamSchefter. pic.twitter.com/3juGqaM62g

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 9, 2021

This is a pretty huge impact to the Ravens’ rushing attack, maybe even more impactful than Dobbins’ injury.

The reason why I say that is because Edwards was a strong backup, as well as Hill. Now, the Ravens are extremely thin in the running back department.

As far as Edwards goes, he will likely get a major surgery and begin his recovery process as quickly as possible. He was going to be in for a big year after Dobbins’ injury but will now have to wait to play football until next season.

Torn ACLs call for very lengthy recovery processes, so he has an uphill battle ahead of him.

When J.K. Dobbins got injured, the Ravens running back depth seemed good enough to shoulder the load, but now it may be even more difficult.

Edwards was set to be the power back in the Ravens backfield, while Dobbins was the starter who handled anything and everything. Dobbins went down, leaving Edwards to be the starter and moved up Ty’Son Williams up to the number 2 spot.

With Edwards now out, Williams now moves up to the starting running back position. It looks like Trenton Cannon will take Williams’ backup spot, but the Ravens also added veterans Le’Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman to their practice squad and will likely be promoted very soon.

Devonta Freeman and Le’Veon Bell, at least for the time being, give the Ravens the most decorated practice squad in recent memory, if not in NFL history.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 9, 2021

The Ravens already signed two big name free agents to their practice squad in Le’Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman, so they may try and work it out with them for now, but they could also still look to sign or trade for more running backs.

Another big name free agent they could go after is Todd Gurley, who remains unsigned after a season with the Falcons. Latavius Murray was also cut by the Saints recently, so he could find his new team in Baltimore quickly.

Murray even suggested as much.

While the Ravens could be done adding to their backfield – or they could also bring in Murray – another option is trading for an upgrade.

Trade targets are very hard to predict, of course.

The Patriots just traded Sony Michel to the Rams because they lost their starting running back for the season as well. Will another team try and capitalize on the Ravens’ injuries like the Patriots did? Maybe.

Here are some potential trade targets that could be shipped to Baltimore sooner rather than later.

The Broncos have three veteran running backs, which could mean they want to trade one. They could opt for draft picks as their franchise is currently in shambles.

An interesting name I like here is Melvin Gordon III. The Broncos have a young running back they like a lot in Javonte Williams who they could give the keys to if they ship away Gordon.

The Buccaneers also have a handful of running backs in Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones Jr. Both backs probably won’t get traded, but if one of them falls behind in the competition, they could be traded to Baltimore.

Houston won’t be competing for anything this year, and they have perhaps three viable trade targets in Ingram, Lindsay, and Johnson. Ingram most recently spent time with the Ravens, and they let him walk, however, so a reunion may not be so logical.

This injury puts all the pressure on Lamar Jackson. With their running backs dropping like flies, Lamar Jackson is going to have to prove how good of a passer he is.

He has struggled mightily when he needs to pass and it has cost the Ravens. Now their fate is in his hands even more.

The bad thing is that the Ravens wide receivers are also having trouble staying healthy. This could be terrible news for the Ravens as their offensive identity is at high risk.

What is with the Ravens? Is it the trainers? Is it the intense practices causing serious wear and tear? Is it something in the air? Either way the Ravens are in big trouble.

Ready for the 2021 NFL Season? Gear up for the rest of week one with the posts below.