The Miami Dolphins have added three talented veterans to their running back room, but Chase Edmonds was the first running back that they targeted.
Coming from Arizona, Edmonds had put together a solid first four years, recording 1,551 yards and nine touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry and another 921 yards and five touchdowns on 128 receptions.
However, with the Cardinals, the offense was a bit different than the one that head coach Mike McDaniel is planning on using in Miami. For Edmonds, that was actually a big part in deciding to sign with the Dolphins.
“I wanted to play for Coach McDaniel because the outside zone scheme intrigued me,” he said during his recent media availability. “I felt like that’s something I could really do with my skill set. I feel like it fits my abilities and it’s something that once I get a grasp of, I’ll be an expert at it.”
What is about the outside zone that interests him?
“I just like how with outside zone, you’re stretching the defense laterally,” Edmonds explained. “When you’re displacing the defense, you’re making them have to cover a lot more field. It opens up certain lanes and certain holes that I’m able to take advantage of. I remember seeing a play we had – it was early in training camp. We were running an outside zone to the left and there was an unblocked man in the hole. But because you have everyone stretching laterally, there can be an unblocked man in the hole and I can still press that hole, make him miss and get back to a back gap – a gap one space behind it and still make a positive run out of it. Sometimes with inside zone, you’re working more vertical so the space is a little more tight. I feel like here when we stretch people laterally, that’s really what I do best. That’s pressing holes and bursting through the hole.”
Edmonds is taking on a new challenge in the aqua and orange, but he’s ready to face it head-on and perform in any role that they ask him to. That’s the sign of a team player.
