Why Terrell Edmunds has been the best Steelers safety so far in 2021

Terrell Edmunds continues to step up his game. Here’s why the Steelers safety has outplayed Minkah Fitzpatrick in the early going. 

The Steelers are getting excellent play out of one of their safeties early in the 2021 season, but it’s not the one you would think. Though Minkah Fitzpatrick has been a two-team First-Team All-Pro by the age of 24, it’s Terrell Edmunds who has been the stud performer in the secondary for Pittsburgh early in the year.

We shouldn’t read too much into a five-game sample size. Both safeties require new deals, and Fitzpatrick is obviously the guy you pay first. However, his strong performances haven’t gone unnoticed so far.

Early in the season, Edmunds has been strong in run support. His three tackles for a loss through five games are more than he has ever earned in a 16-game season prior to this point. But it’s his importance in coverage that is the most notable.

What has made Edmunds Steelers best safety through five games?

A few years back, Edmunds was labeled as the ‘weak link’ in the secondary and had too many blown assignments to be reliable. It seems a switch has flipped. This year, Edmunds has found himself in the right place at the right time for some pretty sound coverage. Here’s how he stacks up to other players in Pittsburgh’s secondary when targeted this year, via Pro Football Reference.

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In addition to having the lowest passer rating when thrown at, Edmunds cut his yards per target nearly in half this year (8.0 to 4.9). Though he did give up one touchdown this year, he has had some really nice coverage in the red zone and he earned an interception in Week 3.

Compared to other NFL safeties, I’d say that Edmunds has been above average in the early going. With a few more plays on the ball, he could elevate his status even further. But it’s not just Edmunds’ strong play that has made him the best safety in the secondary for the Steelers this year. Minkah Fitzpatrick has really struggled to begin the season.

Minkah has had a rough start in 2021

Through the first five weeks, Minkah is responsible for giving up several big passing plays down the field and has already been credited for allowing 2 touchdowns in his coverage. In addition, though Fitzpatrick has made some nice plays in run support, he has also given a few half-hearted efforts when trying to defend the run. Just last week, he whiffed on a tackle near the line of scrimmage that ultimately resulted in a 49-yard run by Javonte Williams.

Obviously, I don’t expect this trend to continue. If the last two years have taught us anything with these two players it’s that Minkah is a legitimate threat in the secondary while Edmunds has been just an average starter. I don’t expect their reputations to all of the sudden change.

Still, it’s really hard to make a case that Fitzpatrick has been the best safety on this team in 2021. The Steelers are likely stretching him too thin by having him wear too many hats, but the results have not been favorable so far. Minkah is currently ranked as the 84th out of 85 qualifying safeties, according to Pro Football Focus, with an overall grade of just 34.5.

Steelers fans shouldn’t be worried about Minkah’s rough start, as we expect the All-Pro to bounce back with some strong performances soon. Let’s hope he turns it around quickly so Pittsburgh could have both safeties playing at a high level.