Will Terrell Edmunds play a defensive role for the Steelers?

Will Terrell Edmunds play a defensive role for the Steelers?

So what do the Steelers plan to do with Terrell Edmunds now that he’s officially back with them? The answer could well be nothing, not even a change of clothes. Or maybe he could develop into a pretty significant role – although I wouldn’t bet on it.

The Steelers selected Terrell Edmunds in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Although he was a starter for four seasons, they didn’t really try to keep him with 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 released him and re-signed him to their practice squad. He played in the Jaguars’ opening game as a practice squad backup, but now he has a roster spot on a familiar Pittsburgh defense.

The question is, will the Steelers even play 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 in Jalen Elliott who is out of the game due to health issues. So what is he doing here? How does he get a helmet?

To his credit, Terrell Edmunds is a dedicated participant on special teams. He has played over 200 snaps twice at this stage of his career, including last year with other teams. I don’t think he has much of a chance to play unless he plays special teams.

But he’s a good athlete with a lot of experience, and they don’t have enough cap space. Could they use him as a tight end matchup, for example? Beanie Bishop Jr. is technically their nickelback, but he’s too small to defend against tight ends.

If the Steelers can get him a helmet and put him on defense, I think that would be Terrell Edmunds’ role. And it could be weeks before they start to integrate him into that role. I suspect if they wanted him as a third safety, they would have re-signed him in March. They had other opportunities to bring him back – assuming he was ready. For that reason, we and he shouldn’t expect much from it now.

The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, after another disappointing year that ended with a first-round playoff loss. The only change in the annual formula of late is whether they’ll be eliminated early or miss the playoffs altogether. They’ve had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills put them out of their misery in January.

The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Will Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team or will they waste a year? How will the team continue the depth diagram?

After weeks of training camp and preseason games, the regular season is here. The Steelers have made numerous changes through signings, trades and firings. More than usual, they seemed to help create holes and were confident they could fill them. Some they were able to fill, others less so. But now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, we just have to ask ourselves a new set of questions.