Baltimore Ravens RB Gus Edwards honors former teammate Jaylon Ferguson
Baltimore Ravens running back Gus Edwards had added inspiration ahead of his return to the gridiron Sunday. Edwards, who missed last season with a knee injury, wrote the numbers 4 and 5 on his wrist tape in remembrance of his former teammate Jaylon Ferguson.
Ferguson died in June from the combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine. He was 26. Edwards was a close teammate and friend. On Sunday, he rushed for 66 yards and two touchdowns as the Ravens defeated the Cleveland Browns.
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After the victory, Edwards received the game ball and dedicated it to Ferguson.
"I appreciate you guys for giving me the support and having my back out there," he told his teammates after receiving the honor. "I was thinking about 45 (Ferguson) while I was out there. This is for him."
The Ravens drafted Ferguson in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He had 67 tackles and 13 tackles for a loss in 38 career games.
"It’s tough. That was my guy. He grew up 25 minutes away from me, so definitely miss him," Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen said during training camp while reflecting on his time with Ferguson. Queen, like his former teammate, is from Louisiana.
The Ravens honored Ferguson with a special helmet decal this season and named his family honorary game captains for the home opener against the Miami Dolphins.
"It’s heartbreaking," Ravens All-Pro defensive end Calais Campbell said during training camp. "You just pray for his family and just try to make sure whatever we can do to help each other through the process, we try to do it as a group. It’s something that I’ll probably think about every day this season."