One thing readers should always keep in mind about our site—and about all of the sites that we reference—is that what we do here is relay information that others have provided. If we write about it, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we are stating that what is written is the case. What we are saying is, this is what has been written. And when we’re at our best, we try to put what is written into context and gauge the likelihood of its veracity.
We like to poke fun at the national writers who often struggle to have a sufficient pulse on any one team, not understanding the nuances of their roster, but the reality is that the local writers routinely fail as well.
I recall an exchange two years ago when, I believe Ian Rapoport, said that real buzz was growing around Virginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds to go in the first round. Both Jim Wexell and Dale Lolley specifically responded to this Tweet saying that it wasn’t going to happen. Then the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team that they cover, took him in the first round. So clearly they completely misread what the team thought of Edmunds.
This is a long-winded way of reminding you all to take all of the ‘scoops’ that we might relay with a grain of salt. We can only know what people write, not whether or not what they write reflects the team’s thoughts.
I say this because I have another Gerry Dulac nugget to discuss today pertaining to what he is led to believe are the Steelers’ intentions for the defensive side of the ball. While they released Mark Barron, he doesn’t believe they are entirely thrilled with the prospect of Vince Williams returning to a full-time role.
I don’t know how much that is true, but he wrote that the Steelers have “given consideration” to the possibility of expanding Edmunds’ role this season and including him in some hybrid roles, perhaps not dissimilar to what we saw with Troy Polamalu in his last two seasons.
Edmunds is now in his third season, and entering his second year working with Minkah Fitzpatrick on the back end. All five starters in the secondary are returning. He should be at a comfort level at this point in his career where, if they believe he is capable of doing more things, this would be the time to begin doing it.
Of course, with the Covid-19 pandemic shuttering facilities all across the league, the time for teams to experiment with such ideas will be very limited. It’s no longer uncommon for safeties to play hybrid roles, but this isn’t something Edmunds has been asked to do before.
