Earlier this week, Terrell Edmunds made a public announcement on Twitter in which he bid farewell to the Pittsburgh Steelers and thanked his team. We knew there was obviously something in the works with regard to his future destination. Now we know just what that is.
On Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed that Edmunds is signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. The former first-round pick is staying in-state and will be part of a team that nearly came away with a Super Bowl victory this past season.
The #Eagles are signing former #Steelers first-round S Terrell Edmunds, sources say, their second safety added in the last week after allowing CJ Gardner-Johnson to head to Detroit. He gets a 1-year deal. pic.twitter.com/uhDIvczM1x
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 24, 2023
At this time, details of the one-year contract have not been released. After losing C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency, Edmunds joins Reed Blankenship in the backend of Philadelphia's defense. Edmunds is in the prime of his career, and by taking a one-year deal, he could be betting on himself to have a big season.
This deal comes less than two weeks after his brother, Tremaine Edmunds, cashed in with a massive four-year, $72 million deal with the Chicago Bears. In 2018, Terrell and Tremaine Edmunds became the first set of brothers to ever be drafted in the first round of the same draft.
Steelers need safety help without Edmunds
Whether you were a fan of Terrell Edmunds during his time in Pittsburgh or not, it's clear that the Steelers could use an upgrade when it comes to the depth at the safety position. Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the best in the business, so there are no concerns here. However, they could be asking Damontae Kazee to step into a much bigger role.
Kazee was excellent when he played in 2022, but he has landed on IR twice in the past three seasons, so banking on good health from the nearly 30-year-old safety might not be the best approach. Behind these two, the Steelers have Tre Norwood, Miles Killebrew, and Elijah Riley under contract at the safety position, but none of their roster spots should be guaranteed.
The Steelers may elect to sign another depth option in free agency to help fill the void left by Edmunds or wait until they see how things unfold in the NFL Draft. With a number of options available and expected to go for cheap, waiting could prove to be their approach for now.
It will be interesting to see where the money comes in on Edmunds' new deal and whether or not the Steelers attempted to match or exceed the offer. If this is another cheap deal like the one he signed last year just three days before the 2022 NFL Draft, perhaps Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan simply decided that it was time to move on.
Either way, we wish Terrell Edmunds the best of luck in his future with the Eagles. He finishes his Steelers career with 276 tackles, 5 sacks, and 5 interceptions, per ESPN stats. One of his best traits was availability as started 75 of 79 games since 2018 and missed only 3 career games.