diff --git a/sys/dev/ath/if_ath.c b/sys/dev/ath/if_ath.c
index 965a1fd6c07..650efbe9a5b 100644
--- a/sys/dev/ath/if_ath.c
+++ b/sys/dev/ath/if_ath.c
@@ -2888,6 +2888,67 @@ fail0:
 #undef ATH_DESC_4KB_BOUND_CHECK
 }
 
+/*
+ * Allocate ath_buf entries but no descriptor contents.
+ *
+ * This is for RX EDMA where the descriptors are the header part of
+ * the RX buffer.
+ */
+int
+ath_descdma_setup_rx_edma(struct ath_softc *sc,
+	struct ath_descdma *dd, ath_bufhead *head,
+	const char *name, int nbuf, int rx_status_len)
+{
+	struct ifnet *ifp = sc->sc_ifp;
+	struct ath_buf *bf;
+	int i, bsize, error;
+
+	DPRINTF(sc, ATH_DEBUG_RESET, "%s: %s DMA: %u buffers\n",
+	    __func__, name, nbuf);
+
+	dd->dd_name = name;
+	/*
+	 * This is (mostly) purely for show.  We're not allocating any actual
+	 * descriptors here as EDMA RX has the descriptor be part
+	 * of the RX buffer.
+	 *
+	 * However, dd_desc_len is used by ath_descdma_free() to determine
+	 * whether we have already freed this DMA mapping.
+	 */
+	dd->dd_desc_len = rx_status_len;
+
+	/* allocate rx buffers */
+	bsize = sizeof(struct ath_buf) * nbuf;
+	bf = malloc(bsize, M_ATHDEV, M_NOWAIT | M_ZERO);
+	if (bf == NULL) {
+		if_printf(ifp, "malloc of %s buffers failed, size %u\n",
+			dd->dd_name, bsize);
+		goto fail3;
+	}
+	dd->dd_bufptr = bf;
+
+	TAILQ_INIT(head);
+	for (i = 0; i < nbuf; i++, bf++) {
+		bf->bf_desc = NULL;
+		bf->bf_daddr = 0;
+		bf->bf_lastds = NULL;	/* Just an initial value */
+
+		error = bus_dmamap_create(sc->sc_dmat, BUS_DMA_NOWAIT,
+				&bf->bf_dmamap);
+		if (error != 0) {
+			if_printf(ifp, "unable to create dmamap for %s "
+				"buffer %u, error %u\n", dd->dd_name, i, error);
+			ath_descdma_cleanup(sc, dd, head);
+			return error;
+		}
+		TAILQ_INSERT_TAIL(head, bf, bf_list);
+	}
+	return 0;
+fail3:
+	memset(dd, 0, sizeof(*dd));
+	return error;
+}
+
 void
 ath_descdma_cleanup(struct ath_softc *sc,
 	struct ath_descdma *dd, ath_bufhead *head)
diff --git a/sys/dev/ath/if_ath_misc.h b/sys/dev/ath/if_ath_misc.h
index 0a51feeec76..23c9f68fc64 100644
--- a/sys/dev/ath/if_ath_misc.h
+++ b/sys/dev/ath/if_ath_misc.h
@@ -86,6 +86,9 @@ extern void ath_setslottime(struct ath_softc *sc);
 
 extern	int ath_descdma_setup(struct ath_softc *sc, struct ath_descdma *dd,
 	    ath_bufhead *head, const char *name, int nbuf, int ndesc);
+extern	int ath_descdma_setup_rx_edma(struct ath_softc *sc,
+	    struct ath_descdma *dd, ath_bufhead *head, const char *name,
+	    int nbuf, int desclen);
 extern	void ath_descdma_cleanup(struct ath_softc *sc,
 	    struct ath_descdma *dd, ath_bufhead *head);
 
diff --git a/sys/dev/ath/if_ath_rx_edma.c b/sys/dev/ath/if_ath_rx_edma.c
index 9e3580d966c..9ed3a91afa3 100644
--- a/sys/dev/ath/if_ath_rx_edma.c
+++ b/sys/dev/ath/if_ath_rx_edma.c
@@ -696,11 +696,11 @@ ath_edma_dma_rxsetup(struct ath_softc *sc)
 {
 	int error;
 
-	/* Create RX DMA tag */
-	/* Create RX ath_buf array */
-
-	error = ath_descdma_setup(sc, &sc->sc_rxdma, &sc->sc_rxbuf,
-	    "rx", ath_rxbuf, 1);
+	/*
+	 * Create RX DMA tag and buffers.
+	 */
+	error = ath_descdma_setup_rx_edma(sc, &sc->sc_rxdma, &sc->sc_rxbuf,
+	    "rx", ath_rxbuf, sc->sc_rx_statuslen);
 	if (error != 0)
 		return error;
 
@@ -739,15 +739,16 @@ ath_recv_setup_edma(struct ath_softc *sc)
 	/* Set buffer size to 4k */
 	sc->sc_edma_bufsize = 4096;
 
-	/* Configure the hardware with this */
-	(void) ath_hal_setrxbufsize(sc->sc_ah, sc->sc_edma_bufsize);
-
 	/* Fetch EDMA field and buffer sizes */
 	(void) ath_hal_getrxstatuslen(sc->sc_ah, &sc->sc_rx_statuslen);
 	(void) ath_hal_gettxdesclen(sc->sc_ah, &sc->sc_tx_desclen);
 	(void) ath_hal_gettxstatuslen(sc->sc_ah, &sc->sc_tx_statuslen);
 	(void) ath_hal_getntxmaps(sc->sc_ah, &sc->sc_tx_nmaps);
 
+	/* Configure the hardware with the RX buffer size */
+	(void) ath_hal_setrxbufsize(sc->sc_ah, sc->sc_edma_bufsize -
+	    sc->sc_rx_statuslen);
+
 	device_printf(sc->sc_dev, "RX status length: %d\n",
 	    sc->sc_rx_statuslen);
 	device_printf(sc->sc_dev, "TX descriptor length: %d\n",