June 7 (UPI) -- The Baltimore Ravens signed backup running back Gus Edwards to a two-year contract extension, the team announced Monday.
Edwards' agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN that the agreement is for $10 million over the two years. The Ravens confirmed the extension, but the team didn't disclose financial terms of the deal.
With the extension, the Ravens now have one of the league's top backfield tandems -- J.K. Dobbins and Edwards -- signed through the 2023 season. Baltimore has led the NFL in rushing in each of the last two seasons.
Edwards is considered one of the NFL's top backups at the position. After going undrafted out of Rutgers in 2018, he is one of just two players in league history to record at least 700 rushing yards and average five-plus yards per carry in the first three seasons of his career, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
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The other player to do so is Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb.
The 26-year-old Edwards was scheduled to become a free agent at the end of this season. The Ravens had placed a second-round tender on Edwards, who is earning about $3.4 million in 2021.
In 43 career games with the Ravens, Edwards has notched 2,152 yards and 10 touchdowns on 414 carries. He has added 18 receptions for 194 receiving yards on 22 targets.
Also Monday, the Ravens reached an agreement with former Denver Broncos offensive tackle Ja'Wuan James.
League sources told ESPN and NFL Media that James is signing a two-year, $3.5 million contract with the Ravens. According to the outlets, the pact also includes an additional $5 million in incentives.
The team has yet to confirm the agreement, which is pending a physical.
James' decision to join the Ravens came after the former first-round draft pick filed a $15 million grievance against his former team, the Broncos.
The 29-year-old James suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in a workout away from the Broncos' facility last month. James had been guaranteed $10 million for the 2021 campaign, but because the injury occurred off-site, it was designated as a non-football injury.
The Broncos weren't obligated to pay James' salary after the designation. The team later released him.
In his grievance, James is seeking his $10 million salary for the 2021 season and $5 million for the 2022 campaign, according to ESPN, arguing that he was working out away from the team's facility under guidance from the Broncos.
James, who opted out of last season because of COVID-19 concerns, is set to earn $500,000 in guaranteed money this year while he recovers from his Achilles injury. He is expected to return for the 2022 campaign.
