Terrell Edmunds might be jumping on a moving train but he knows how to ride the rails of this Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense. Etched in it for the first five years of his NFL career, there haven’t been many changes in the one season he was gone. Mike Tomlin’s still the head coach, Grady Brown still the secondary leader, and Teryl Austin still the coordinator.
That lends itself to Edmunds playing sooner than later, something Austin confirmed during a Thursday meeting with the media via reporter Amanda Godsey.
‘T.E.’ [Terrell Edmunds] has always been good,” Austin said via a team-provided transcript. “Always been an early meeting guy coming in, so that helps him reacclimate to our environment and everything. So he’s doing a good job and I think he’s kind of got his feet back under him in terms of what we’re doing here and how we’re doing it. So, I would hope that probably see him sooner than later.”
Edmunds never lived up to the lofty expectations of being a first-round pick, a surprise selection when Pittsburgh took him 28th overall in 2018, though later reports hinted he wouldn’t have lasted long into the second round. Still, Edmunds was a durable defender who could hit and play the run, making him a fine pairing to ball-hawking FS Minkah Fitzpatrick.
After signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023, he bounced around with multiple teams. The Eagles dealt him to the Tennessee Titans before he caught on with the Jacksonville Jaguars this summer. Failing to make their 53, he was signed to the practice squad before being poached by the Steelers after Week 1. At the time, the Steelers admitted they didn’t need Edmunds but brought him back as quality depth. So far, he’s been inactive his first two weeks, losing out to special teamer Jalen Elliott last Sunday in the Steelers’ 20-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
How Terrell Edmunds can advance to getting a hat and gaining a role is a little murky. While there’s injuries across the team, the safety room has been healthy. The team lost CB Cory Trice Jr. to a hamstring injury so perhaps Edmunds could find a role as the new dime defender. But the Steelers are also comfortable with a three-safety look of DeShon Elliott, Damontae Kazee, and Minkah Fitzpatrick in those situations.
Regardless of if it’s sooner or later, the attrition of an NFL season will likely lead to Edmunds being called upon at some point this year. He should be ready to answer.
