The Pittsburgh Steelers lost another player in free agency, as Terrell Edmunds signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles were looking for a safety after they lost CJ Gardner-Johnson, and the Steelers were not too interested in bringing Edmunds back after re-signing Damontae Kazee to start at safety. With all this in hand, it made perfect sense for Edmunds to walk in free agency, and for the Eagles to sign him.
Davis Phillips – AP
Steelers drafting Terrell Edmunds in the First Round
In the 2022 offseason, Edmunds was looking for an offer in free agency, but he never got it. Eventually, he came back to the Steelers on a one-year deal and proved that he's still a quality starter at safety. Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick have made a very strong safety duo since 2019 and work great together. Edmunds has been great at locking down running backs and tight ends in man coverage and learned how to be effective in deep zone starting in 2019. He has developed each year of his career and will get to show off his skill sets elsewhere.
What does Edmunds bring to the Eagles?
As mentioned earlier, Edmunds is great in man coverage and has developed well in zone. Not only is he a force in coverage, but he is a great tackler. Some fans consider Edmunds "a linebacker in a safety's body." Edmunds has the speed and strength needed to play linebacker, but not the size, unlike his brother, Tremaine Edmunds. Terrell Edmunds has adjusted well to being an NFL safety, despite being undersized.
Even when Edmunds' quarterback rating allowed (QBR) was high, there was a lot of context missing from that stat. There were many plays where Edmunds would make a tackle for loss off of a quick screen, especially when the running back was lined up as a wide receiver. The stats are somewhat misleading with Edmunds, but the game film shows that he is a true force in the secondary, and the Eagles found a great player for their defense.
Brandon Hunt headshot. Credit: Brandon Hunt’s Instagram account (the_other_pgh_kid)
There was likely a lot of influence from the assistant general manager of the Eagles. Like Andy Weidl convincing the Steelers to get former Eagles' offensive linemen, Brandon Hunt was most likely in the ear of Howie Roseman, as Hunt was the right-hand man of Kevin Colbert with the Steelers, even during the first four years of Edmunds' career. Hunt was on the staff when the Steelers drafted Edmunds in the first round in 2018, so he has seen plenty of Edmunds, including the draft process, in practice, and on game day.
What is the Steelers' plan for replacing him?
The Steelers re-signed Kazee, and it's safe to assume that he will start at safety alongside Fitzpatrick. Kazee is more versatile at the safety position, unlike Edmunds. There is a good chance that Kazee and Fitzpatrick rotate between free safety and strong safety, to make it more confusing for the offense. With Edmunds, there was little rotation among safeties.
Pittsburgh Steelers safety, Damontae Kazee (#23) celebrates. Photo Credit: Matt Durisko / AP
The Steelers could also use a third-round pick on Jordan Battle for depth and more rotation. Kazee is on the wrong side of 30, and despite playing great in limited time in 2022, Kazee's production could start to fall off. Battle would be a great value pick and potential replacement for Kazee, if that were to happen. Either way, the Steelers do still have plenty of talent at safety. While it sucks to see Edmunds leave, it's definitely not the worst-case scenario for the Steelers.
What do you think of Edmunds going to the Eagles, as well as the Steelers' plans without him? Let us know down in the comments.
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