Pittsburgh Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds will head elsewhere in free agency. Last off-season, the team got him on a cheap one-year, $2.5 million deal. The five-year safety proceeded to have the best season of his career, forming a formidable duo alongside Minkah Fitzpatrick. It seemed likely that the team would retain him this off-season after the year he just had, but that won’t end up being the case.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/Steeler Nation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher, TJ Watt (#90), and safety, Terrell Edmunds (#34) celebrate against the Tennessee Titans in 2021 at Heinz Field.
It’s quite the loss for the secondary, as Edmunds has grown into a very good player over the past few years. Selected 28th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, many labeled him as a bust in his first few seasons. Edmunds bid his farewell on social media, thanking his teammates and the city of Pittsburgh for his time with the team:
Thank you Pittsburgh for making my dreams come to reality! You will forever be apart of me and my journey! I’m thankful for all of my coaches, teammates and every fan supporting! To my bruddas y’all kno how we rockin, it’s gonna be luv until the wheels fall off 🙏🏾🖤 #ManTime🫡🔒 pic.twitter.com/nTujRQ4Oej
— Terrell Edmunds (@rell_island6) March 23, 2023
Now, safety becomes a need for the Steelers. Damontae Kazee was re-signed to a cheap two-year, $6 million deal just over a week ago. That signing becomes even more important now with the loss of Edmunds. Now, it also presumably puts him as the starter alongside Fitzpatrick. In his first season with Pittsburgh in 2022, Kazee battled some injuries, missing a total of eight games. When the six-year veteran saw the field though, he provided a legitimate impact.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers safety Damontae Kazee is now slated to start in 2023 after the departure of Terrell Edmunds.
Beyond Kazee, and Fitzpatrick, the black and gold don’t have much at safety. Tre Norwood is quite versatile, transitioning between multiple roles at defensive back, but he didn’t have a good year in 2022. Miles Killebrew is still on the roster, but he's mostly a special teams guy. Elijah Riley has bounced between the practice squad and active roster, so he's likely not someone you trust as your primary backup either.
Will the Steelers ride with Kazee in starting lineup now?
The front office could still dip back into free agency to find a safety, but the market seems pretty dry at this point of the off-season. Perhaps more likely though, the Steelers have three top-49 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Someone to keep an eye on would be Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson. While he played linebacker in college, several scouts and executives view him as a safety at the next level.
He showed immense athleticism at the 2023 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, including a 4.43 40-yard dash time. In fact, not only did head coach Mike Tomlin attend his Pro Day, but he also had dinner with Simpson the night before. The Clemson product will likely be available in the second round, which could lead to the black and gold scooping him up. Brian Branch of Alabama is another name to keep an eye on, as he's the best safety in a relatively weak class at the position.
Who do you want to see the Steelers go after to fortify the back end now? How big of a loss is Edmunds? Do you think Kazee will do just fine alongside Fitzpatrick in 2023? Share your thoughts in the comments below, as well as on our social media sites!
#SteelerNation
