Chase Edmonds was a fantastic fill-in for the Cardinals last season, but when Kenyan Drake or David Johnson was healthy, he headed back to the bench.
That won't be the case in 2020.
Edmonds was a key part of the game plan in Sunday's season-opening win over the 49ers – finishing with 26 yards rushing, 19 yards receiving and a touchdown on nine touches – and that will be the norm moving forward, according to coach Kliff Kingsbury.
"You saw last year, when he got his opportunity before he got hurt, he was playing his butt off, and that's what we've seen all camp," Kingsbury said. "He is no-nonsense, all about his business, works really hard at it and takes pride in his craft. When he gets his opportunity, he makes the most of it. You saw that on Sunday, and he will continue to have a major role in this offense."
Kingsbury referred to Edmonds as a "starting running back" during camp and reiterated it on Wednesday. While Drake had 58 snaps compared to Edmonds' 28, the Cardinals regularly got Edmonds involved when he was on the field.
He had the team's first touchdown of the season on a 10-yard catch-and-stretch to the pylon in the first quarter. It was the latest example of Edmonds’ impressive body control, which he said is not completely instinctual.
"I took the balance side of my game from Alvin Kamara," Edmonds said. "I would see all the workouts Alvin Kamara was doing and either try to replicate them or just find a little tweak where I could elevate my game a little bit. It's an important aspect of a running back, because you're going to have those type of situations come up."
Edmonds also made possible Zane Gonzalez's 56-yard field goal before the half – before Larry Fitzgerald made it even more possible – by taking a draw 20 yards on the first play of the series. If that attempt went nowhere, Kingsbury may have let the final 30 seconds of the second quarter run out.
Moving forward, Edmonds is excited about his pairing with Drake.
"We have a long-term goal for us, and we've got to keep both of us fresh," Edmonds said. "It's a 16-week season, and it's a long season, man. It really is. So I think Kliff and (running backs coach James Saxon) are going to do a good job of rotating and keeping us fresh. Me and K.D., we're boys, so when one of us is in there, I'll be cheering just as hard for him as he is for me."
KEESEAN JOHNSON 'ANTSY' TO LEAVE COVID LIST
Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson missed the opener after being placed on the COVID-19 restricted list, and remains out indefinitely.
"Unfortunate for KeeSean," Kingsbury said. "I thought he was one of the most improved players in camp. I know he's antsy to get back. We're all fired up and hopeful that it will be sooner rather than later."
As for injuries from the opener, Kingsbury said the Cardinals are still determining the prognosis for safety Jalen Thompson (ankle) and center Mason Cole (hamstring), who both left the game and didn't return.
Thompson and Cole didn't practice on Wednesday, nor did tight end Maxx Williams (ankle) and outside linebacker Kylie Fitts (wrist). Wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and DeAndre Hopkins were given maintenance days. Tackle Josh Jones (ankle) was limited.
For Washington, cornerback Kendall Fuller (knee) and linebacker Thomas Davis (calf) both logged full practices after missing the season-opening win over the Eagles. Linebacker Cole Holcomb (knee) was limited.
JALEN DAVIS REPLACES CHRIS JONES ON PRACTICE SQUAD
Cornerback Jalen Davis was re-signed to the practice squad. He was in training camp with the Cardinals and played in two games for them last season.
Davis replaces cornerback Chris Jones, who started three games for the team in 2019 and was signed by the Lions on Wednesday. Punter Richie Leone was released from the practice squad and recent addition Alex Light was signed off the practice squad by the Cowboys.
