Philadelphia made another move at the safety position on Friday, agreeing to a one-year deal with former Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds.
We’ve signed @rell_island6 to a one-year deal.@Toyota | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/mZg5K9iKZL
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 24, 2023
Edmunds had 70 tackles (41 solo, three for loss), two sacks, and five passes defended in Pittsburgh last season, and offers the versatility to play in the box and the slot, along with free safety.
Edmunds spent his first five seasons with Pittsburgh after the Steelers made him a first-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The former Virginia Tech star started 75 of the 79 games he played for the Steelers and could be a key piece in Philadelphia.
Edmunds has pedigree
His brothers, Trey and Tremaine, played college football at Virginia Tech and are both in the NFL.
Trey is a free agent that has played for the Saints and Steelers, while Tremaine is one of the NFL’s top young linebackers and signed a lucrative deal with the Bears.
Their father, Ferrell Edmunds, played in the NFL as a tight end.
Eagles taking flyers on young players
After signing older veterans during the last retool, the Eagles are going young at specific positions of need.
Three of the players signed in the secondary are 27 or younger. Terrell Edmunds (26), Justin Evans (27), and Greedy Williams (25).
If Philadelphia can tap into that potential, the retool could result in multiple Super Bowl appearances.
Potential upgrade at the position?
C.J. Gardner-Johnson made big plays in 2022 and was the co-leader in interceptions, but PFF’s grading system suggest Edmunds is the more efficient player.
Terrell Edmunds vs. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson:
Coverage Grade, per PFF
Overall Defense: 30th
Edmunds: 31st
CJGJ: 35thRun Grade, per PFF
Overall Defense: 41st
Edmunds: 40th
CJGJ: 56th#Eagles— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) March 24, 2023
Depth at safety
With the addition of Edmunds, Philadelphia will enter the offseason program with five safeties on the roster.
-Terrell Edmunds
– Reed Blankenship
– K’Von Wallace
– Andre Chachere
– Justin Evans
Blankenship is the apparent starter at free safety and has the athleticism to be a playmaker, while at the strong safety position, Edmunds will likely get the first shot to replace Marcus Epps.
Edmund's role with the Eagles
Edmunds offers some versatility as a true in-the-box safety, but it’ll be on Sean Desai to put the veteran in a position to be successful.
Edmunds logged most of his snaps with Pittsburgh as a box safety, with another 200 snaps coming deep and almost 200 snaps in the slot.
