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The 2021 NFL season was a critical one for a lot of players; but none bigger than for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2018 draft class. This class included Terrell Edmunds, James Washington, Chukwuma Okorafor, and Marcus Allen. Although this class was strong early on, they’ve definitely had their share of struggles lately and with the decline of Edmunds’ fifth-year option leading into the season, the Steelers put him on notice that he’ll have to earn a contract extension.
And Edmunds did exactly that in 2021.
Edmunds had arguably the best season of his career in 2021. After pairing him with Sean Davis in his rookie year, and ultimately watching him struggle, the Steelers did a great job of getting the right partner he needed in Minkah Fitzpatrick. Although Fitzpatrick is a game-changer in his own way, this led to Edmunds being able to re-calibrate himself in getting back to the Steelers’ first-round pick. To provide a bit of context, let’s take a look at the numbers Edmunds posted in the last two seasons. In 2020, he was injured and missed some action in the season, but still tallied 2 interceptions, 8 passes defended, a sack, and 68 total tackles. Looking at this past season, Edmunds made 89 total tackles, 2 interceptions, 6 passes defended, and 2 sacks. However, we should also note his tackles for loss. In 2020, Edmunds only had a single tackle for loss. But with the Steelers’ porous rush defense in 2021, Edmunds was forced to play closer to the line of scrimmage and made big stops when they were needed most. As a result, he posted 8 tackles for loss. Edmunds showed grit in lining up in the box and wrapping up ball-carriers, which is what the Steelers need at the safety position in synergizing with Fitzpatrick on the back-end.
The constant argument every off-season is the “if not him, then who” discussion. So, let’s take a look at some names and projected price tags (provided by Spotrac) who are set to hit the free agency market in 2022:
For reference, Edmunds’ fifth-year option would carry a $6,750,000 cap hit. After the Steelers had already optioned for Fitzpatrick’s fifth year at $10,612,000 in cap-space, it would be difficult to spend upwards of $17,000,000 on a pair of safeties solely in 2022. However, as we can see above for top talent at the position, Edmunds is still at a discount for showing an increase of production and a raised ceiling for the future. Some projected cost-equivalent options could be Jordan Whitehead, Kareem Jackson, Devin McCourty, or Jayron Kearse. Of those, Whitehead would be the only player worth trying for in a possible Edmunds’ absence. But there is a good chance he returns to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so this may not be likely. Therefore, Edmunds looks better and better compared to the open market in that respect.
With the annual NFL Draft looming in April, it is also worth exploring those options as well. But with that said, we are all too familiar with the more pressing Steelers’ needs at offensive line, linebacker, defensive line, cornerback, wide receiver, and quarterback. So, who are some deep flyers at safety who may fill the void at strong safety? Well, we have Jordan Battle, Smoke Monday, Josh Proctor, Bubba Bolden, and Tre Sterling who would be available to the Steelers on the third day of the draft. If I had to choose, I’d spend more cap space on a veteran Edmunds than reach for a diamond-in-the-rough through the draft.
To conclude, Edmunds should be re-signed for 2022. Unless Whitehead comes at a bargain, Edmunds would be the best fit, at that price point, for the Steelers. The Steelers won’t be able to replace him through the draft and Edmunds showed a raised ceiling for the future. With the Steelers’ defense being in a “win now” mode, they can’t afford to rebuild the safety position after steadily improving the last four years. There is simply no need to reinvent the wheel in 2022.
Do you think the Steelers should sign Edmunds? Who do you think would make more sense at strong safety? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
And Edmunds did exactly that in 2021.
Edmunds had arguably the best season of his career in 2021. After pairing him with Sean Davis in his rookie year, and ultimately watching him struggle, the Steelers did a great job of getting the right partner he needed in Minkah Fitzpatrick. Although Fitzpatrick is a game-changer in his own way, this led to Edmunds being able to re-calibrate himself in getting back to the Steelers’ first-round pick. To provide a bit of context, let’s take a look at the numbers Edmunds posted in the last two seasons. In 2020, he was injured and missed some action in the season, but still tallied 2 interceptions, 8 passes defended, a sack, and 68 total tackles. Looking at this past season, Edmunds made 89 total tackles, 2 interceptions, 6 passes defended, and 2 sacks. However, we should also note his tackles for loss. In 2020, Edmunds only had a single tackle for loss. But with the Steelers’ porous rush defense in 2021, Edmunds was forced to play closer to the line of scrimmage and made big stops when they were needed most. As a result, he posted 8 tackles for loss. Edmunds showed grit in lining up in the box and wrapping up ball-carriers, which is what the Steelers need at the safety position in synergizing with Fitzpatrick on the back-end.
The constant argument every off-season is the “if not him, then who” discussion. So, let’s take a look at some names and projected price tags (provided by Spotrac) who are set to hit the free agency market in 2022:
- Tyrann Mathieu (estimated annual salary $15,837,500)
- Quandre Diggs (estimated annual salary $11,987,500)
- Marcus Williams (estimated annual salary $15,333,505)
- Jabrill Peppers (estimated annual salary $15,059,524)
- Marcus Maye (estimated annual salary $14,221,333)
For reference, Edmunds’ fifth-year option would carry a $6,750,000 cap hit. After the Steelers had already optioned for Fitzpatrick’s fifth year at $10,612,000 in cap-space, it would be difficult to spend upwards of $17,000,000 on a pair of safeties solely in 2022. However, as we can see above for top talent at the position, Edmunds is still at a discount for showing an increase of production and a raised ceiling for the future. Some projected cost-equivalent options could be Jordan Whitehead, Kareem Jackson, Devin McCourty, or Jayron Kearse. Of those, Whitehead would be the only player worth trying for in a possible Edmunds’ absence. But there is a good chance he returns to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so this may not be likely. Therefore, Edmunds looks better and better compared to the open market in that respect.
With the annual NFL Draft looming in April, it is also worth exploring those options as well. But with that said, we are all too familiar with the more pressing Steelers’ needs at offensive line, linebacker, defensive line, cornerback, wide receiver, and quarterback. So, who are some deep flyers at safety who may fill the void at strong safety? Well, we have Jordan Battle, Smoke Monday, Josh Proctor, Bubba Bolden, and Tre Sterling who would be available to the Steelers on the third day of the draft. If I had to choose, I’d spend more cap space on a veteran Edmunds than reach for a diamond-in-the-rough through the draft.
To conclude, Edmunds should be re-signed for 2022. Unless Whitehead comes at a bargain, Edmunds would be the best fit, at that price point, for the Steelers. The Steelers won’t be able to replace him through the draft and Edmunds showed a raised ceiling for the future. With the Steelers’ defense being in a “win now” mode, they can’t afford to rebuild the safety position after steadily improving the last four years. There is simply no need to reinvent the wheel in 2022.
Do you think the Steelers should sign Edmunds? Who do you think would make more sense at strong safety? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
