DISHONORABLE MENTION
SS Terrell Edmunds
With Artie Burns gone, Steelers fans moved on to Terrell Edmunds as the player they all love to hate. Usually, players are selected in the first round to address an immediate need. Unfortunately, Edmunds was such a raw talent coming out of Virginia Tech that the Steelers had to sign free agent Morgan Burnett to be the starter. When Burnett got hurt, Edmunds was thrown into the fire and struggled.
Edmunds had one interception his rookie season but was the only starter in the secondary to not record at an INT in 2019. Per PFF, in 601 coverage snaps, he was targeted 39 times and allowed 354 yards on 27 receptions, 16 first downs, and two touchdowns for a 58.3 coverage grade.
Edmunds did finish second on the team in tackles (105) behind 2019’s first-round pick Devin Bush (109). But this post is about coverage and not tackles. He hasn’t lived up to his first-round draft selection and has become a weak link in the secondary. I would venture to say that Edmunds is the sole player that holds back the Steelers coverage unit from being elite.
According to Over the Cap, it’ll cost the Steelers $756k if the Steelers unload Edmunds post-June 1. If they keep him around (which they probably will) and he improves in 2020, the Steelers will have a decision to make. Releasing Edmunds after the season will save the team $1.18 million in cap space, but they’d still have $2.2 million in dead money to deal with.