How does Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds fit in this star-studded defense?

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense saw a major rise in status in 2019 leading the league in takeaways and sacks. Where does Terrell Edmunds fit in this year?

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds saw the 2019 season end with him being dubbed ‘the weak link’ of an otherwise elite defense by today’s NFL standards.  The real question is why?

He has already cemented himself as the best defensive back the Steelers have drafted since William Gay in 2007. When we really think about where he stands, he is the only defensive back Pittsburgh has drafted in over 10 years that has held his place on the field.

The end of the 2017 season

When you ask most Steelers fans about the 2017 season, they will more than likely tell you that our cornerstone on that defense, Ryan Shazier, went down with a devastating spinal injury in a Week 13 match-up with the Bengals. The Steelers would go on to ride their offensive talent to the AFC divisional round of the playoffs, even as their run defense began to crumble.

Then in that game, the Steelers would lose a wild, albeit somewhat messy, shootout against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The final score was 45-42, and the star of that game would be Leonard Fournette as he ran for 3 touchdowns. Up until week 13, the Steelers defense had become stingy and made plays when it mattered most.

Their one weakness had been stopping big plays. Tackling in the secondary was a major issue and the Steelers would give up a total of 8 touchdowns to opposing offenses of over 50 yards, according to Pro Football Reference. The Steelers had a problem they needed to solve heading into the next season. Many thought that the Steelers were going to target one of two positions with their top pick either inside linebacker, or safety.