Terrell Edmunds is a keeper. Steelers fans might not love hearing this and might not be believers, but it is very true.
In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Steelers were expected to address a gaping need at inside linebacker after the tragic loss of Ryan Shazier. Roquan Smith went to Chicago eighth overall and Tremaine Edmunds (Terrell’s brother) was drafted by the Bills with the 16th pick. Neither of those selections were very surprising, as no one expected either linebacker to make it to the Steelers pick at 28th overall.
But then the Cowboys took Leighton Vander Esch with the 19th pick and Rashaan Evans went to Tennessee at 22 ... and the Steelers were shut out of first round linebackers.
Many will argue now that Darius Leonard could or should have been the pick at 28 rather than Edmunds, but that is really Monday Morning Quarterbacking, as no one really had Leonard -- a very thin player for the position from tiny South Carolina State -- in the first round conversation. Of course, Leonard went on to become a great player for the Colts, who took him in the second round.
Steelers fans were not excited about Edmunds when he was drafted. He wasn’t a linebacker and there wasn’t a lot of draft buzz around him after he missed time during his final season at Virginia Tech due to injuries. And, he often played hurt that season. Edmunds shut it down after 10 games during his junior year to have surgery on his left shoulder, and most were focused in on his brother, who got the headlines, during the draft process rather than Terrell.
The Steelers decided to get a true strong safety type that could play nickel and dime linebacker instead of landing one of the top four -- all of whom were off the board. The following draft, the Steelers did trade up to the 10th pick overall to address that inside linebacker need, selecting Devin Bush. Steelers fans haven’t been all that happy about that move either.
But at 6’ 1” and 217 pounds, exceptional size for an NFL safety, Edmunds ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash. But it was his explosive jump numbers that really were a positive outlier. Edmunds posted a 41.5” vertical and a 134” broad jump. Edmunds was also considered a team leader at Virginia Tech to go along with great size, versatility and twitchy athleticism.
Here is a great display of the impact Edmunds made at Virginia Tech. His size and athletic ability are on full display, as is his versatility. And you know what? He is showing that now in the NFL.
There have been two big knocks on Edmunds in the NFL. First, his ball skills, ball production and ability to create big plays are lacking. Second, he wasn’t worth a first-round pick.
Well, the latter really doesn’t matter at this point. And frankly, if he had been drafted in the mid-to-late 30s rather than in the top 32 overall, everyone would think that Edmunds was well worth his draft slot.
The first criticism has been warranted however, but could be on the upswing for this 25-year-old as he is showing much better awareness in all aspects of safety play in 2022.
This isn’t a spectacular play by Edmunds, but he does come from deep patrol to play the ball in the air. He shows off good hands to make this fingertip interception. Edmunds also has shown to be effective with the ball in his hands as a runner with the football.
For the better part of five full NFL seasons, Edmunds has five interceptions and four sacks. He has yet to force a fumble and has just one fumble recovery. There is no candy coating it, that simply isn’t good enough -- no matter where he was drafted.
Edmunds has played a very high number of snaps, which makes that lack of production a bit more concerning. But, he has also worn many hats in this Steelers defense.
Edmunds has logged 4,789 snaps in the NFL, playing between 865 plays and 1,145 snaps in each of his first four seasons. This year, Edmunds has played 776 plays. Only Minkah Fitzpatrick has played more on the Steelers' defense.
Here is how Edmunds has been used in terms of alignment over his career. He has lined up on the defensive line 168 times and been a box defender 1,900 snaps. He's lined up as a deep off-the-ball safety, sometimes in the deep middle of the field, but usually in a two-high shell on 1,399 occasions.
Edmunds has also played a slot role 1,211 times, against either slot receivers or detached tight ends for almost all those snaps. He's even aligned as an outside cornerback for 111 snaps. This past week in Carolina, Edmunds played 96 percent of the defensive snaps and aligned in the box 68 percent of the time against the very run-heavy Panthers with great results.
That is rare usage for any NFL safety. And that has great value. He can play man coverage against tight ends, is very adept in zone coverage on the second and third level of the defense, is a strong and greatly improving blitzer, and is a reliable tackler. Edmunds is a strong run defender, no matter where is aligned. And, he is getting better.
Edmunds is the ideal complement to Fitzpatrick. And with Damontae Kazee in the fold with his abilities to handle deep centerfield responsibilities, the Steelers now have an excellent trio of safeties with varied skill sets. With the way that Edmunds and Kazee play the game and what they bring to the table, Fitzpatrick has excelled in way more ways this season than just playing the deep middle.
Edmunds is also set to hit free agency after this season. Last year, Edmunds hit the open market in what very quickly became an extremely lukewarm market for safeties. The Steelers brought Edmunds back on what equated to a one year, $2.5-million dollar contract.
Edmunds surely will be paid better going forward, but he should absolutely be one of the Steelers' top priorities to lock up to a multi-year contract. After that, maybe they could convince brother Tremaine -- also an impending free agent -- to join the Black and Gold and greatly upgrade the linebacking corps. The Steelers do have a bit of a history with brother tandems, including the Edmunds family.
Steelers fans might be slow to buy in, but Edmunds is a keeper.
