While the NFL offseason train rolls along, and the NFL Draft just a few short weeks away, there exists one hole on the Steelers’ roster that has yet to be filled, and that’s the starting strong safety spot, vacated by homegrown free agent Terrell Edmunds. While everyone was making news waves about GM Kevin Colbert’s comments regarding their preferences to give out second contracts to players fresh off their first deal, free agent safety Tyrann Mathieu was on-record stating he’s received phone calls from coach Mike Tomlin.
Usually, where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and it’s hard not to get excited at the thought of the “Honey Badger” forming a tandem on the back end, the likes of which the Steel City hasn’t seen since Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark.
However, according to NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala who appeared on 93.7 The Fan earlier today, the team still is very much interested in bringing back Edmunds, but also stated maybe the market for Mathieu may not be as hot as once thought.
“I can also tell you that there is an offer on the table for Terrell Edmunds, but he still has multiple teams interested and may not be interested in the Steelers’ offer,” she told the show. “Or maybe hoping for more money than the Steelers are offering.”
While he can’t be considered a bust by any stretch, the 2018 first round pick of the team hasn’t lived up to his draft pedigree. However, he has shown a steady improvement each and every year. Tomlin has been on-record stating how appreciative he’s been of Edmunds’ availability over his four-year tenure, including this past season which was arguably his finest.
In the 2021-22 season, he posted 89 total tackles, including eight TFL, adding a sack and two interceptions. Edmunds already knows the defensive system, has shown improvements and with the team likely to soon sign Edmunds’ ex-running mate, All-Pro Minkah Fitzpatrick, to a long-term deal, why break up a good thing? Still only 25 years old, it’s very likely that Edmunds’ best football has yet to be played.
It’s highly unlikely Edmunds would be apt to take a hometown discount to stay in Pittsburgh, otherwise the deal would already be in-place. Is her perhaps overvaluing himself? He already has public endorsement from Tomlin, but the NFL oftentimes gets labeled “Not For Long,” so Edmunds is looking to maximize his earnings. The next few days and weeks prior to the draft should reveal a lot about the future on the back end of the Pittsburgh secondary.
