The New York Jets have added some competition to the backfield.
According to ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler, the Jets signed former Michigan running back Donovan Edwards following the 2025 NFL draft.
#Michigan RB Donovan Edwards is signing a free-agent deal with the #Jets, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) April 26, 2025
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Edwards signed a three-year, $2.98 million contract with the Jets as an undrafted free agent.
Edwards Has Shown Dominant Tape in His Past
Dane Brugler of The Athletic expected Edwards to get selected during April’s draft. He graded him as a 6th to 7th round pick.
However, expectations were higher than that just a few years ago. In 2022, Edwards finished with 1,191 scrimmage yards, scored nine total touchdowns, and averaged 7.5 yards per scrimmage touch.
“After a breakout sophomore season, he was viewed as a potential future top-100 pick by NFL scouts, but his junior and senior seasons fell well below expectations (yards per carry dropped from 7.1 in 2022 to 4.4 over the 2023-24 seasons combined),” Brugler explained in “The Beast.”
Edwards rose to such a high level of fame that he was featured on the cover of the NCAA 25 video game.
Jets signed the face of the NCAA 25 Cover in UDFA ! 😂🔥 Donovan Edwards pic.twitter.com/ooFqfP3xOX
— 𝙅𝙀𝙏𝙎 𝙈𝙀𝘿𝙄𝘼🛫 (@NYJets_Media) April 27, 2025
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Edwards measured in at 5-foot-11 and tipped the scales at 205 pounds at the 2025 NFL combine.
Brugler described him as a “Dynamic screen target (7.6 career YAC per reception)” in “The Beast.”
The Former Michigan Man Has a Chance to Steal a Roster Spot
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic ranked Edwards as the No. 1 undrafted free agent with the best chance to make the Jets’ 53-man roster.
“Edwards is far and away the highest-profile member of this UDFA class — and has the best shot of sticking around, too,” Rosenblatt said. “If the Jets want to keep four traditional running backs — which seems likely, considering this will be a run-heavy attack — then Edwards has a good chance of making it with a good summer.”
The Jets didn’t pick a running back during the 2025 NFL draft.
At the Annual League Meetings, head coach Aaron Glenn singled out the entire Jets running back room as one to watch.
“I think, mentally, [Breece Hall] is in a good place, but I would say that we have three running backs on this team that we’re going to utilize as much as possible. They’re all big men, they can run, they’re violent, they’re physical,” Glenn told ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
“So I think once we get a chance to get the players in and see exactly how they operate, I think every player is going to be happy with the way that we go about this offense, and I think he [Hall] is going to be one of them,” Glenn added via Cimini.
The three backs that Glenn referenced were Braelon Allen, Isaiah Davis, and Hall. There is room for one more back to join the party.
Big plays and versatility will give him a shot at making the Jets roster.
“Only player in Michigan history with pass, run, and catch of 75 yards or more in career. Despite a career low in targets as a senior, he has large, accepting hands with the versatility to line up in the slot or out wide,” Brugler said via “The Beast.”
