The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to focus on running the ball in 2024, and they added to the room with the addition of Georgia RB Daijun Edwards as an undrafted free agent. Edwards might be new to the Steelers, but he’s spent a lot of time watching the team in the past, as he said during his media session at the NFL Scouting Combine that Le’Veon Bell is his favorite running back ever.
“I don’t really model my game after nobody, as for my favorite running back ever is Le’Veon Bell, I like to watch him a lot, I just like the way he plays, the way he plays the game, way he sees the field,” Edwards said via DawgsHQ on YouTube.
Edwards, who measures in 5097 and 207 pounds, is smaller than Bell but said he really enjoys Bell’s running style, which was notoriously patient. In Alex Kozora’s scouting report on Edwards, he noted that he’s also a patient runner who waits for holes to develop.
Even though Edwards wants to play his own game and said he doesn’t necessarily model his game after anybody, the more you watch other players on tape who excel, the more you can take from someone else’s game to add to your own. For Edwards, whether through watching Bell or not, the two are both patient runners and that’s something that could help Edwards stick in the league despite less-than-ideal speed.
It might be an uphill battle to make the roster in Pittsburgh with Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson in the running back room, and the team also signed Aaron Shampklin to a futures deal. But Edwards can make people miss with his impressive agility and ability to cut, and he’s certainly an intriguing name to add to the roster and watch in rookie minicamp, OTAs and training camp. Edwards could potentially be an option to stash on the practice squad as he works into a bigger role, with Harris now entering a contract year after the Steelers declined his fifth-year option.
Bell was a three-time All-Pro for the Steelers, and while Edwards might be unlikely to reach that ceiling, Bell is certainly a great back to watch and see how he runs and sets up the defense. If Edwards can bring that style to Pittsburgh and continue to make guys miss like he did in college, he could have an outside shot at making the roster as added depth for what should be a run-heavy team.
