Ravens Place Tenders on Running Back, Center, Linebacker
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens placed tenders on three pending free agents — running back Gus Edwards, center Trystan Colon-Castillo and linebacker Kristian Welch.
The moves correspond with the NFL officially releasing a salary cap of $182.5 million for the 2021 season.
It's no surprise the Ravens retained Edwards, who has been a key part of the offense over the past three seasons.
“Gus is going to be on the team, one way or the other," general manager Eric DeCosta said. "We’re going to certainly tender him if we don’t get a long-term deal done, but he is a Raven. He played his butt off this year, and he had a good season for us."
Edwards made $750,000 last season and could be in line for a significant raise. Edwards has an estimated market value of $10.5 million over three years or $3.5 million per season, according to Spotrac.com.
This past season, Edwards was third on the team with 723 yards on 144 carries with six touchdowns.
For the second-straight year, Baltimore had three players – Jackson (1,005), Dobbins (805) and Edwards – rush for over 700 yards each. The 2020 Ravens joined the 2019 Ravens and 2011 Panthers as the only teams ever with three 700-yard rushers in a season.
Edwards also showed his versatility in the passing game late in the season and caught nine passes for 129 yards.
Colon-Castillo, an undrafted player, has the potential to make a bigger impact in 2021. He started at center in two games during his rookie campaign, filling in for Patrick Mekari, and performed well. He'll provide valuable depth on the offensive line.
The Ravens also like the potential of Welch, who played in eight games as a rookie, primarily on special teams, producing four special teams tackles for a unit that allowed only 5.7 yards per punt return (fourth in the NFL) and 21.1 yards per kickoff return (10th).
