Baltimore Ravens running back Gus Edwards finally made his return to the field in the game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Edwards scored two touchdowns in his first game since January 16, 2021.
He led the Ravens with a seven-yard touchdown run on the first play in the second quarter with two minutes left on the clock. Then, he stretched the lead to 20-10 with a one-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter.
Edwards missed the 2021 season after suffering an ACL injury during last year’s preseason. He started Sunday’s game against the Browns for the first time after recovering.
“It took a lot of faith getting through everything and all the adversity I faced with the injury,” Edwards said after the win.
Edwards’ season debut provided an extra boost to the Ravens’ offense. The fifth-year veteran had to wait 645 days to feel the excitement of scoring a touchdown. He said that he was relieved knowing all his rehabilitation efforts had paid off.
“You work hard all week, you go over the same plays all week, and you envision everything being a touchdown,” he said. “It always feels like a release, but this one was special.”
In the game, Edwards rushed for 66 yards on 16 rushing attempts, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt. After the win, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson praised the veteran.
“We’ve got a lot of ‘scat’ backs, fast, elusive backs, but (Edwards) can do both,” Jackson said. “We’ve been missing the power, and it showed. He was hitting the holes and getting like 5 yards a carry sometimes.”
#Browns Myles Garrett on the screaming in the locker room after the game pic.twitter.com/bs2mWLcv2w
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 23, 2022
Edwards’ other injuries
Other than his torn ACL, the 27-year-old also tore his hamstring and LCL when he went to practice on September 10, 2021, forcing him to do a lot of rehabilitation. He thanked the training staff for helping him return to the field.
“I’m even fortunate to be playing right now with the type of injury I had,” Edwards said. “I just have to keep building off it.”
Edwards had planned to play against the New York Jets in the 2022 season opener, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh scheduled him to return around Weeks 5 and 7.
“That was kind of what the doctors, and (head certified athletic trainer) Adrian (Dixon), and (chief medical officer) Dr. (Andrew) Tucker were shooting for,” Harbaugh said. “So, they deserve a lot of credit. (Football performance coach) Sam Rosengarten and (head strength and conditioning coach) Steve Saunders, they all did a great job.”
Edwards pays tribute to late Jaylon Ferguson
In the game, Edwards paid tribute to the late quarterback Jaylon Ferguson, who died in June, by wearing the numbers 4 and 5 on his wrists.
Edwards’ return to the Ravens came after the team placed J.K Dobbins on injured reserve following arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Harbaugh said that Dobbins had a range-of-motion problem and hoped that the procedure would help him recover faster.
“(Dobbins) wanted to do it,” the coach said. “If it doesn’t work 100%, then he’s kind of on the slow road again. There’s no new injury or anything like that. He just wanted to take a shot at speeding up the process.”
For Week 8, the Ravens are traveling to Raymond James Stadium to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 27.