Terrell Edmunds is set to hit the free agent market this offseason. But while teams around the NFL are paying their top players to stay, the Steelers need to make an effort to keep Edmunds on the roster as a key role player who wouldn't be too expensive to lock down for multiple years to pair with Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The Steelers are set to sign Fitzpatrick to a major extension that would make him one of the most expensive safeties in the NFL. The six highest paid safeties in the NFL all make an average of over $14 million a year on their contracts, and Fitzpatrick could end up making the most of that group. As the Steelers put together the distribution of their salary cap spending, they'll need to also make sure they don't overspend at safety while paying Fitzpatrick a major contract.
That's why Kevin Colbert re-signing Edmunds would make sense, because he wouldn't cost anywhere near what other veteran safeties on the market would cost, and would bring his four years of experience with the team.
Edmunds is projected by Pro Football Focus to cost an average of $6.5 million on the free agent market. He's been a good player for the Steelers, but he's not created the turnovers to make him a major target in what will be a competitive safety market. Edmunds would have to compete with Marcus Williams, Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, Jordan Whitehead, Justin Reid and more players who will probably get paid higher contracts.
He only has five interceptions in four years. Even though he's recorded two interceptions in each of his last two seasons, those aren't numbers that will attract major buyers looking for veteran game changers at safety. But Edmunds' value to the Steelers goes beyond his contributions at turnovers, as he's been a useful safety covering various playmakers at wide receiver, tight end and running back.
Teams try to attack Edmunds to avoid targeting Fitzpatrick, but he's handled it well, especially in 2021. Despite being targeted 50 times, sixth most among safeties, Edmunds only allowed 9.2 yards per reception. That's the second-lowest rate among the 21 starting safeties who played at least 650 snaps last season, only behind the Bills' Jordan Poyer.
Part of Edmunds' additional value to the Steelers has been his chemistry and trust built with Fitzpatrick over the past three seasons. While Fitzpatrick has been a two-time First Team All-Pro, Edmunds has been the lesser noticed starter who's helped keep the Steelers' defense rank in the top ten in pass defense in each of the last three seasons. Watch this deep ball when Ryan Tannehill tried a deep ball on a route that split Fitzpatrick and Edmunds in a cover 2 scheme. When the ball arrived, Edmunds had covered the receiver overtop and Fitzpatrick helped bracket him underneath, forcing the ball to be perfect and almost resulting in an interception:
But Edmunds doesn't need to team up with Fitzpatrick to be an effective safety.
He's also developed solid instincts to help the Steelers with coverage around the box. His size at 6-foot-1 combined with his athleticism allows him to compete with taller receivers and tight ends while also keeping up with quicker backs and receivers. But he also has developed solid play recognition and to sniff out plays that sneak past other defenders. Watch how he ran with the initial motion to align with the Titans' tight end, but then stayed home as they set up a screen to bring down the running back for a tackle for loss:
That's not an interception like how Fitzpatrick has flipped around several games over the past few years, but it's still a solid play.
Edmunds puts together several plays like this help keep the Steelers' defense intact while others like Fitzpatrick, T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward make the highlight plays. While the Steelers were the worst defense against the run in 2021, Edmunds was a good contributor from the secondary who would help when the run came his way. Watch how he played behind Devin Bush and Joe Schobert to attack A.J. Dillon and limit his gain at the line of scrimmage. Watch how he approached the line, scraped and made the tackle at the hole:
But Edmunds' best contributions have been helping to erase tight end problems for the Steelers in recent seasons.
For years, the Steelers' defense didn't have the safeties to compete with more athletic tight ends who would run past the team's linebackers and out-physical the team's defensive backs. After giving up more than seven touchdown receptions to tight ends in 2018 and 2019, the Steelers gave up three touchdowns to tight ends in 2020, fewest in the NFL, and four touchdowns to tight ends in 2021, sixth-fewest in the league.
In the Steelers' regular season finale, the Ravens tried to go after Mark Andrews several times throughout the game, but Edmunds kept him from being a game breaker. Watch this play when Tyler Huntley took a second too long to find Andrews and Edmunds felt the play out in his zone coverage to break it up:
Edmunds has developed the instincts to execute the fundamentals in coverage over the years.
That hasn't resulted in his ball skills making major strides, but it has allowed him to do the basics that limit passing windows for quarterbacks. Watch how he stuck to Andrews on this wheel route to the sideline. You can see him stay in Andrews' hip pocket while watching Huntley to start the play. Once Andrews gets past him, Edmunds turns and runs with Andrews while watching his hands as an indicator of when to put his hand up to knock the ball away:
Edmunds is far from perfect, but he's also the role player the Steelers need in the defense to be the glue between the unit's best playmakers.
Colbert could go out and sign an expensive safety, but that would take a bite out of the salary cap space needed to replenish the offensive line, cornerbacks and linebackers. Edmunds would be a cost-effective option to pair with Fitzpatrick while keeping an experienced player with the group. He can continue to grow his chemistry with Fitzpatrick, while the Steelers don't pay too much on the position and don't take a step back with a cheaper option who will have to learn the defense.
