Will Terrell Edmunds have a defensive role with the Steelers?
Now that Terrell Edmunds is officially back with the Steelers, what do they plan to do with him? The answer may very well be “nothing”, including not even dressing. Or perhaps he could develop into having a fairly significant role—even if I wouldn’t bet on it.
The Steelers drafted Terrell Edmunds in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. While he started for four seasons, they didn’t try very hard to keep him on a second contract. It seems like he wanted to find another opportunity elsewhere—but that didn’t work out, and now he’s back.
Edmunds signed with the Steelers after the Jaguars cut him and re-signed him to their practice squad. He played in the Jaguars’ opener as a practice squad elevation, but now he has a roster spot in a familiar defense in Pittsburgh.
The thing is, will the Steelers even dress him? They signed him after placing rookie DL Logan Lee and P Cameron Johnston on the Reserve/Injured List. But they already have a safety who is a healthy scratch in Jalen Elliott, so what is he doing here? How does he get a helmet?
To his credit, Terrell Edmunds is a willing participant on special teams. He played over 200 snaps twice in his career in that phase, including last year with other teams. I don’t think he has much of any chance of dressing if he doesn’t play on special teams.
But he is a good athlete with a significant amount of experience, and they don’t have slot depth. Could they use him, for example, as a tight-end matchup? Beanie Bishop Jr. is technically their nickel, but he is too small to defend tight ends.
If the Steelers manage to get him a helmet and put him on defense, that is what I think Terrell Edmunds’ role would be. And it might take weeks before they start integrating him into that role. I assume if they wanted him as the third safety they would have signed him back in March. They have had other opportunities to bring him back—assuming he was willing. Because of that, we, and he, shouldn’t expect much from it now.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they exit early or miss the playoffs altogether. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? How will the team continue to address the depth chart?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
