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Pittsburgh Declines Fifth Year Option For Terrell Edmunds (REPORT)

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by AskQuestionsLater, May 3, 2021.

  1. BURGH43STEL

    BURGH43STEL Well-Known Member

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    Edmunds was good enough to start. He seemed to get better every year. Did he develop into the player or play maker they envisioned when they drafted him? Probably not. He's still developing.

    All the belief that Edmunds isn't good go out the window if the Steelers or another team sign him to a contract extension. At this point Edmunds is an adequate starter in the league. Can't have superstars at every position.
     
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  2. Vox Ferrum

    Vox Ferrum Well-Known Member

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    Blast now watch the rumors explode. With so much (supposed) cap room next year and Colbert's concern...this surely means a trade for Rodgers is in the works. LOL
     
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  3. PWP

    PWP Well-Known Member

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    If we could in any way possible then we should..I know probably not , but 1 year of a top 20 QB or multiple years of a top 5 QB.. That ranking is on how they are playing now and projected play not career ..

    We have lots more weapons tham GB and Rodgers is a much better deep passer than Ben if we had him I would believe in a Superbowl run ...
     
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  4. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    The general representation that a Strong Safety must have the characteristics of a Free Safety have been already discussed multiple times over on the board. They are two different positions for a reason. For that matter, attempting to compare the coverage capabilities of a Strong Safety versus that of a Free Safety is essentially comparing apples to potatoes. Outside of some notable examples in the 100+ Years of the NFL in Troy Polamalu, Ken Houston, Kam Chancellor and Harrison Smith, there really are very few examples of where there are exceptions to the rule of a Strong Safety being able to cover as efficiently as a Free Safety.


    Regarding Edmunds, 2020 was his best season overall; coverage is where he took his biggest step. He still has to learn some but the fact of the matter remains is that Edmunds now has a better concept and grasp of how to attack the ball when it is in the air. All that is left for him now is to act and react quicker while applying those same lessons. Should he do that, Pittsburgh's Secondary will be in just as much shape as it was last season.
     
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  5. PWP

    PWP Well-Known Member

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    SS is or should be a big LB with more speed...A FS should be a last line of Defense with his strong suit being speed ..My school of Teaching isl you have to be able to arrive at the play before we need to worry about how you are going to make the play.. I probably said that 1000 times Coaching young cats to come up..
     
  6. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    A Big LB with more speed?! Perhaps a generation ago I would a agree with you. However, since the 2010s, Strong Safeties have to be more than just mere big hitters. They have to be multi role weapons on the defense. Jamal Adams may not have the coverage capability of someone like Terrell Edmunds but there is a reason he has been an All Pro Three times within his first Four Seasons (Two Second Team Honors and One First Team). Terrell Edmunds is not going to be an All Pro but he still does possess Pro Bowl potential; 2020 being a sign of things to come in my opinion.


    Regarding your Free Safety statement, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Ed Reed, Budda Baker and Tyrann Mathieu all would like to have a word with you on that one. Much like Strong Safeties, Free Safeties are more so DPWs (Defensive Personnel Weapons) than ever before.
     
  7. BURGH43STEL

    BURGH43STEL Well-Known Member

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    There is a huge difference between high school and collegiate ranks. There is even a wider difference between the collegiate ranks to the professional ranks.

    Young cats are not on the same level as professionals.

    Edmunds has plenty of NFL speed for an NFL strong safety. He ran a 4.47. That's not slow. According to one report he tested off the charts.

    Two factors that can't be measure by any NFL scouts or coaches is how players will adjusted to the speed and mental aspect of the NFL game.

    Artie Burns had plenty of NFL athleticism. Burns couldn't comprehend the NFL game from a mental perspective. There is a long list of NFL players that had talent but couldn't cut it in the NFL because they couldn't decode or adjust the the NFL game from a mental perspective.
     
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  8. PWP

    PWP Well-Known Member

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    The main difference in levels is the mental a 200 lb. HS FS who runs a 4.4 has the physical tools to play on any level, but each step up he has to get smarter and more mentally tough . As far as you have to get to the play to make the play this is true on every level..Edmunds has 2 problems IMO he is slow to recognize the play and his hip turn is slow this causes him a lot of problems.

    I do agree with you though the mental is what breaks a lot of NFL players ..IMO Edmunds would be good to great in the box as a LB less mental and less hip turn needed..
     
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  9. Maddog78

    Maddog78 Well-Known Member

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    His biggest improvement was in regards to tackling. Ball skills and reaction time are not improving at this point - he is what he is, a good tackling safety that reacts slowly because he isn't sure what he is seeing.
     
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  10. PWP

    PWP Well-Known Member

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    You make valid points and I meant to write smaller LB with more speed,I was about 10 beers deep. sorry. Of course the Safety spot has become a weapon position, I agee .. What I was trying to say as much as SS and FS are different the same can be said for tandem vs single high. The single high is the guy who needs the speed and is the last line of defense I don't think I made that clear. The best deep FS I have seen IMO is Earl Thomas...Minkah has the speed and the hips he can play it , but he is so good as a Robber I like him in the box...The Steelers played him back there a lot and it got Edmunds in the box which helped him , but Minkah hated it back there..

    We need a true deep FS who could play the deep by himself to allow Minkah and Edmunds to play in the box again Edmunds just can't play the single high he is more LB than Safety to me..
     
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  11. Quadrupleyoi

    Quadrupleyoi Well-Known Member

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    From an article by Tommy Jaggi yesterday regarding Edmunds....
    “Last year was his best season, without a doubt. After allowing 72.0 percent of passes to be completed for a 131.6 passer rating and 4 touchdowns in coverage in 2019, the former first-round pick greatly improved those numbers in 2020, according to Pro Football Reference. Last year, Edmunds allowed just 55.6 percent of passes completed in his direction for a 70.8 passer rating while surrendering just one score.”
    If his passing against rating improved that much, it is a lot more than his tackling that has got better. I think Edmunds may have improved more than we give him credit for. If he plays like he did in 2020, he will get quite a payday after the season. If he plays like he did in 2019, not so much. But he could come out of the situation of them not exercising the 5th year option smelling like a rose. It had to have been more a cap issue rather than the way he played. I wish I understood the salary cap better.
     
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  12. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    Except he had two INTs in 2020 and had career highs in Pass Deflections. I would say he is turning the corner. Took longer than I wanted to but at the very least he showed improvement in that area. To say he is not improving is unfair to his increase in year over year productivity.
     
  13. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    Umm...


    Minkah is a True Single High Free Safety. I seriously doubt the Steelers will be forgoing another Safety in 2022 unless the team really does decide to let go of Terrell Edmunds. Should that be the case, Bubba Bolden, Isaiah Pola-Mao and Daxton Hill would all be worthy candidates for replacing him. That said, I would advise high caution upon doing so as messing up the chemistry that the likes of Terrell and Minkah have developed is yet another problem that could arise if said rookie does not catch up quickly.
     
  14. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    If they liked him so much, picking up the option would have been a no-brainer. They are just fine risking losing him to free agency.

    I'm not just directing my responses regarding Edmunds at you.
     
  15. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    No, but you shouldn't be spending first-round draft picks on adequate.
     
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  16. BURGH43STEL

    BURGH43STEL Well-Known Member

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    Well the draft can be a crap shoot. Show me a team that hits on every 1st round pick.

    Teams don't draft with the idea that 1st round picks will be simply adequate. They draft players based on different variables. No one can say with 100% certainty how wel players will develop.
    I'll take an adequate starter over a bust. There are no guarantees in the NFL draft.
     
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  17. Blast Furnace

    Blast Furnace Staff Member Mod Team

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    You know better than that. His play wasn’t worth that contract but that doesn’t mean they don’t like him.
     
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  18. BURGH43STEL

    BURGH43STEL Well-Known Member

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    That's not 100% true. I don't believe the Steelers handed out any long term extensions to anyone this offseason.

    I'm sure they want to extend some of their more heralded playes (Watt and Fitz) to extensions.

    I get the sense that the Steelers are waiting to see how things play out with Covid and the salary capp for 2022 before giving long term extensions. We'll see.

    Maybe they will allow Edmunds to test his market value? Maybe he will take a little less to stay with the Steelers? Who knows?
     
  19. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    It means they don't like him enough to make sure they keep him. There are levels of like, and if they are willing to risk losing the guy to free agency, it is a very low level of like.
     
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  20. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    The option commits them to money in 2022, when they will have a lot more cap room. They did exercise the option on Fitzpatrick, ensuring that they can keep him for 2022 even if they can't come to a long-term agreement. They passed on that opportunity with Edmunds.
     
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  21. Blast Furnace

    Blast Furnace Staff Member Mod Team

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    So they don’t like JuJu? Or any other number of FA’s they let test the market. Somewhere in this thread it was posted that only two safeties make that salary Edmunds was due to get. He’s not worth that. They could still want him at a more reasonable salary.
     
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  22. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    They have other options at receiver. If Smith-Schuster had left, they still had Johnson, Claypool, and Washington. They have also shown that they have no problem finding and developing receivers.

    They don't have other options at safety, which makes it all the more telling that they are good with letting Edmunds test free agency. I never said that they wouldn't or shouldn't try to keep him at a lower number, but I do believe this shows their interest in keeping him is limited. It is just another sign that taking him in the first round was a mistake.
     
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  23. Blast Furnace

    Blast Furnace Staff Member Mod Team

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    Maybe they are, guess we’ll find out eventually if it was a cap move or just don’t want him.
     
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  24. Formerscribe

    Formerscribe Well-Known Member

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    Or we will find out they want him, but only at a greatly reduced price.
     
  25. Blast Furnace

    Blast Furnace Staff Member Mod Team

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    Ok, same as every other player.
     

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