Tag: Mario Edwards Jr.

Texans defense taking control on defense with turnover against Titans

Houston Texans defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. recovered a second-quarter fumble, marking seven consecutive games with a takeaway.

During a first half in which the Houston Texans have had trouble slowing the Tennessee Titans’ offense, a fumble was just what they needed.

Titans running back Tony Pollard lost his handle on the ball and Texans defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. recovered.

The fumble recovery is Edwards’ second on the season. He had zero in his first nine NFL seasons.

Fellow defensive tackle Tim Settle was in the area, preparing to make the tackle before Pollard fumbled.

Settle and Edwards were two of Houston’s under-the-radar signings that have made a large impact this season.

Houston has forced a turnover in seven consecutive games. From Week 5, the Texans have forced 18 turnovers, including Edwards fumble recovery. Houston’s offense has the second-most points in the league off of takeaways.

With a win, the Texans would move to 4-0 in the AFC South entering Week 13’s bout with the Jacksonville Jaguars before the bye week.

Is Mario Edwards playing today? Injury news update for Texans defensive lineman

Mario Edwards Jr. is officially reinstated from his suspension entering Monday Night Football against the Cowboys.

The Houston Texans are nearing full strength with the return of linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and wide receiver Nico Collins entering Week 11’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on ‘Monday Night Football.’

Even without Will Anderson, Houston should be content with its pass rush at AT&T Stadium on primetime. That could be because of the return of defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr.

Will the veteran defensive tackle be cleared to play on Monday night? Here’s the final update entering AT&T Stadium

Mario Edwards Jr. update

Edwards, who was suspended for four games without pay for violating the NFL’s substances of abuse policy, was activated to the final 53-man roster on Monday prior to kickoff. He’s not only expected to play but also start.

The Texans haven’t had an entire starting defensive line on the field at the same time through 10 games. Fellow free-agent signee Denico Autry was suspended for the first six games without pay for violating the NFL’s substances of abuse policy. Defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi was ruled out with a foot injury earlier this week.

Anderson, a favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, is also out this week after suffering an ankle injury in Week 9’s loss against the New York Jets.

He’s expected to be back at some point this season.

Mario Edwards Jr.’s stats

A former second-round pick out of Florida State, Edwards has started six games at defensive tackle. Before the suspension, he ranked third on the team in sacks (two), plus five quarterback hits and two tackles for loss.
Texans DL depth chart
With Edwards back but Fatukasi out, here’s a look at the Texans defensive line depth chart heading into Monday’s game:  
  • Mario Edwards Jr. 
  • Tim Settle
  • Denico Autry (will shift inside on third down)
  • Kurt Hinish
  • Tommy Togiai

Settle is expected to start, while Autry should see a majority of reps on the outside in place of Anderson.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. on ABC and ESPN.

Leonard Williams could be the final piece for Seahawks’ evolving defense. Grade: A

The Leonard Williams trade gives the Seahawks another force multiplier in a defense that’s been evolving right under your nose.

The Seattle Seahawks, after their 24-20 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, find themselves ranked 15th overall in Defensive DVOA, and ninth against the run. Both pretty decent upgrades over the 2022 season, when the Seahawks ranked 22nd in Defensive DVOA, and 24th against the run. Seattle did a lot in the offseason to upgrade their interior defensive line, signing former Denver Broncos star Dre’Mont Jones and journeyman Mario Edwards Jr., and bringing Jarran Reed back after seasons in Kansas City and Green Bay — Reed was Seattle’s second-round pick in 2016.

So, the Seahawks have had multiple guys who can stop things up inside, and can also show out in multiple fronts. That process accelerated seriously on Monday, when general manager John Schneider dropped the hammer on a trade that sends former New York Giants and New York Jets lineman Leonard Williams to the Emerald City for a second-round pick in 2024, and a fifth-round pick in 2025.

For the Giants, the thought process is obvious — they’re sellers at 2-6, and they were going to have trouble re-signing Williams, who’s in the last year of the three-year, $63 million contract extension he signed in 2021. 2024 is a void year in that contract, so the Seahawks rented Williams for the second half of the season and however far they make it through the postseason, and the Giants will eat a lot of the 2023 money.

For the Seahawks, this move gives them four legitimate inside/outside guys who can all disrupt the quarterback and stop the run, which is an obvious boon for defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt just as young edge-rushers Boye Mafe and Darrell Taylor starting to show up hard. Add in a linebacker group led by Bobby Wagner that’s playing lights-out, and a secondary with as much talent as any NFL team could boast, and… well, this might not be a return to the Legion of Boom, but it’s pretty impactful.

What does the tape show for Seattle’s newest defender, who has two sacks, 22 total pressures, 14 tackles, and 13 stops this season? Let’s get to it.

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4 takeaways from the Seahawks initial 53-man roster for 2023

The Seattle Seahawks made us wait for it, but eventually they released their initial 53-man roster for the 2023 NFL season yesterday. 

The Seattle Seahawks made us wait for it, but eventually they released their initial 53-man roster for the 2023 NFL season yesterday.

Here are four quick takeaways from the new roster.

Mario Edwards Jr. on Seahawks defensive line communication

Here’s what Edwards shared when he spoke with the media after practice on Wednesday.

Seahawks defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. was elaborate when addressing the media this week. His sentiments suggest that the new-look defensive line unit is approaching each play with cohesiveness.

With the usage of slide protection & combo blocking in the run game, NFL offenses can often ensnare an over aggressive defensive line. Whether it’s preventing neutral-zone infractions or being sure not to jump the snap, a defensive line must play with poise to be successful.

Here’s what Edwards shared when he spoke with the media after practice on Wednesday.

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New-look Seahawks defensive line has Mario Edwards Jr. starting

As it stands in training camp, the defensive line will have three starters who were not Seahawks last year.

Here is an interesting development. The Seattle Seahawks’ biggest weakness last year was easily their defensive line and defensive front as a whole. Seattle spent considerable resources this offseason – both in free agency and the NFL draft – to correct such a disastrous effort from last year.

As it stands in training camp, the defensive line will have three starters who were not Seahawks last year. Two of them make sense, but one does catch the eye a bit. Per Bob Condotta at the Seattle Times:

“As the Seahawks concluded their first week of training camp Tuesday with their second straight day in pads, the team’s usual interior line in its 3-4 defense consisted of Jarran Reed at nose tackle and Dre’Mont Jones and Mario Edwards Jr. at end.”

Jones was the big free agent signing from the Denver Broncos, and Jarran Reed is back in Seattle where he started his career. But Mario Edwards Jr. finding himself in a starting position is interesting. Edwards Jr. has been a journeyman his entire career, playing for Oakland, New York Giants, New Orleans and Tennessee.

Last year for the Titans, Edwards Jr. played in 13 games, starting 7 of them, and recorded three sacks. Perhaps a new environment for him will bring out the best.

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Seahawks announce they’ve signed 2 more defensive linemen, 3rd reported

Today, Seattle followed through by adding a couple more pieces to their interior rotation.

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Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters this weekend at rookie minicamp that the team still had work to do on their defensive line. Today, Seattle followed through by adding a couple more pieces to their interior rotation.

The team just announced that they have signed two new players: former Raiders defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. as well as nose tackle Forrest Merrill.

Edwards (6-foot-3, 280 pounds) is a former second-round draft pick who’s entering his ninth year in the NFL. He has played 99 regular season games between five teams, totaling 19.5 sacks and 46 QB hits. Edwards probably won’t be starting but he should be considered the next-guy-up behind projected starting defensive ends Dre’Mont Jones and Jarran Reed.

Merrill (6-foot-1, 338 pounds) comes to Seattle by way of the Chargers, who he played four games for in 2021 – all on special teams. Before that, he played 28 games at Arkansas State, posting 8.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for a loss.

Merrill joins a robust competition at the nose tackle position that includes three rookies. Until veteran Bryan Mone recovers from his ACL injury, our projected starter is fourth-round pick Cameron Young out of Mississippi State.

To make room for them on the 90-man roster, Seattle waived linebacker Michael Ayers and defensive end Jacob Sykes.

Update:

The Seahawks are also signing former Oregon and Seattle Sea Dragons defensive lineman Austin Faoliu, according to a report by Aaron Wilson.

Seahawks updated 90-man roster after rookie minicamp

NFL Free Agency: Seahawks hosted DL Mario Edwards Jr.

The Seahawks hosted free agent defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr. for a visit on Wednesday, according to Field Yates at ESPN.

The Seahawks hosted free agent defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr. for a visit on Wednesday, according to Field Yates at ESPN.

Edwards (6-foot-3, 280 pounds) played his college ball at Florida State but went undrafted. He got his start in the NFL in 2015 with the Raiders, where he stayed for three seasons. Edwards then put in stops with the Giants, Saints and Bears before playing with the Titans last season.

All together, Edwards has appeared in 99 regular season games, totaling 19.5 sacks, 46 quarterback hits and 23 tackles for a loss. He has earned strong grades from PFF for his run defense throughout his career.

Revamping Seattle’s interior defensive line remains the team’s top priority in free agency. So far they have signed Dre’Mont Jones and Jarran Reed but they have also released Shelby Harris, Quinton Jefferson and Al Woods. Poona Ford has also been allowed to test the market, opening up another spot.

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Pending free agents Titans should re-sign this offseason

The pending free agents the Titans should re-sign this offseason.

The Tennessee Titans will have several difficult decisions to make over the coming months, both in the front office, coaching staff, and on the roster.

For starters, they first need to hire the general manager that’s going to be responsible for making these crucial decisions regarding the roster. That process has already gotten under way, but several of these personnel decisions won’t be resolved for several more weeks.

From there, the Titans will have to hire a new offensive coordinator to replace Todd Downing, which could also have an impact on how the team approaches this offseason, at least on the offensive side of the ball.

We’ve already covered the players under contract for 2023 who the Titans should consider parting ways with in a previous article.

Now, it’s time to be a bit more positive and discuss which pending free agents could have possibly earned themselves another year in Tennessee.

Bears are releasing DL Mario Edwards Jr.

The Bears have made their first surprising cut in releasing DL Mario Edwards, who carries a $3.9 million dead-cap hit.

The Chicago Bears are releasing defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr., according to Pro Football Talk and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Edwards is the first surprising cut by the Bears ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, especially his versatility to play interior or off the edge but, most importantly, considering he has a dead-cap hit of $3.9 million in 2022.

Following a career season in 2020, the Bears signed Edwards to a three-year, $11 million extension to keep him in Chicago through 2023.

In 2021, Edwards has seven tackles, including one tackle for loss, 1.5 sacks and one pass breakup in nine games.

Edwards has been sidelined this summer, which allowed other players to step up and make an impact on defense. This could be good news for some roster bubble players looking to earn a roster spot, including defensive linemen Trevon Coley and Sam Kamara.

The Bears have to trim their roster down to 53 players by Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT. Follow along with Chicago’s roster cuts:

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