The Steelers' overhaul at safety was a big part of their adjustments to prepare for the 2018 season. Terrell Edmunds was at the center of it, being the team's first round pick, and his quick adjustment to the NFL has allowed Keith Butler more liberty in scheming top stop NFL offenses.
Edmunds quickly worked his way to a starter by being one of the more consistent safeties in training camp and preseason. The timing worked well for the Steelers when Morgan Burnett struggled to see playing time with nagging injuries, and the rookie saw plenty of opportunities to get acclimated to the NFL.
Edmunds never gave any sign NFL play was too big, fast, or complex for him to understand, and that's why Butler's uses him so much. Through nine games, Edmunds has the second most snaps played among the defense with 546 plays (Sean Davis has 596). That's largely due to Edmunds' consistency at understanding his assignments and contesting offenses all over the field.
The rookie's numbers don't jump out as elite, but they show a consistent role player, and the tape corroborates that notion. Rookie mistakes are minimized so that Butler and defensive backs' coach Tom Bradley don't have to worry about assignment mistakes and can focus on improving his abilities as a playmaker.
His early struggles often weren't from miscommunication, but from being beat in spots by proven NFL talent. Take Kareem Hunt's touchdown reception against the Steelers as a perfect example, where Edmunds reads the play and gets around Sammy Watkins' slant to be in position to stop Hunt in the flat. The problem was Edmunds' cautious tackler approach took away any momentum he had, and the hard-running Hunt brushed off Edmunds with a simple stiff arm:
Edmunds got to his spot and in good position, but Hunt's a power runner that isn't going to be forced out of bounds easily. Knowing when to play aggressively comes with experience, which is why it's understandable Edmunds didn't win there.
Through trial by fire, Edmunds has been learning from his mistakes. He made another by being too late to help Joe Haden over the middle when he was the deep center safety on a John Brown post. The safety has to read with his eyes what the Ravens are trying to do, and by the time he recognizes the shot play, Brown is behind him breaking to the end zone:
Haden saved the play with a brilliant break up, but Edmunds saw another play where the athleticism of an NFL opponent beat his approach.
Where Butler maximizes Edmunds' talents is how he schemes for his athleticism. He can disguise Edmunds' true assignments because of fast and explosive he is in space.
Watch how he breaks on this screen to Mohammed Sanu, where Edmunds lines up with Davis to give Matt Ryan a two-high safety look. After the offense is set, Mike Hilton jumps lining up on Sanu and gets ready to blitz, but Edmunds is still ten yards from Sanu.
Ryan sees this and quickly gets it to Sanu, but Edmunds is so fast that he smothers Sanu and establishes outside leverage as a tackler to ensure the only escape was into the teeth of the Steelers' defense:
That's a rookie playing fast while being smart. Having a player that can play well in space goes a long way to stopping dynamic offenses with a variety of weapons.
Here's another example against the Falcons when Edmunds was in man coverage against Tevin Coleman on a crossing pattern. Fast players like Coleman used to plague the Steelers, but not with Edmunds in coverage. Watch how he trails the route without losing a step on Coleman even into his break, then finishes the play with a solid third down tackle to force a punt:
Those plays won't register for highlights, but they're vital drive-stoppers that get the Steelers' offense back on the field. But combining his 6-foot-1, 217 lbs. size with his athleticism is what's allowed Butler to use him to cover various receiving threats.
Take his pass defensed while covering tight end Mark Andrews, where Edmunds has to line up like a cornerback outside the numbers. He isn't shaken by being out of his element, establishes inside leverage then flashes good footwork to react to Andrews' double move. He finishes by challenging a good ball from Joe Flacco and gets his head turned around to avoid the penalty:
He isn't fazed by any opponent he faces, regardless of size, speed or reputation. I asked him after the Steelers' 52-21 win over the Panthers about his take on playing against two NFL MVP quarterbacks in Ryan and Cam Newton in just his rookie season.
"You definitely look at the people behind the helmet," Edmunds said. "But at the same time you have to do your job, try to make plays and make plays when they come to you. Today, I dropped one, but I just have to bounce back another week."
Edmunds, referencing his dropped interception against the Panthers, knows he can still perform at a higher level. Even with his solid tackle numbers and having an interception already, he's not satisfied with his play.
When a rookie limits his mental mistakes within the scheme, it allows him to focus more on the playmaking aspect of his game. With Edmunds' consistency in the former, the latter may only be a matter of time.
