Tag: Mike Edwards

Report: Bills’ Mike Edwards would like to be traded by team

Report: Bills’ Mike Edwards would like to be traded by team

The Buffalo Bills and veteran safety Mike Edwards could soon be destined for a split with the 2024 NFL trade deadline looming.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Edwards wants to be traded and the team has made him available.

“Veteran Buffalo safety Mike Edwards is available and would like to go somewhere he can play (he has been a steady inactive).”

The 28-year-old was signed earlier this offseason by the Bills to be a veteran presence in the team’s secondary as a past Super Bowl winner. Prior to his addition, holes were left vacant by Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde on Buffalo’s defense.

Over the summer, Edwards ended up rarely practicing due to various injuries. He was once viewed as a projected starter and even general manager Brandon Beane said as much.

However, after missing time during both spring practices and training camp, the Bills decided to eventually roll with Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp at the safety position.

That left Edwards as a healthy scratch on most games days so far, as noted in the report.

The upcoming trade deadline is slated for Nov. 5.

Bills Wire will provide updates as information is made available.

Bills’ Mike Edwards finally getting healthy: ‘Best I’ve felt here’

#Bills’ Mike Edwards finally getting healthy: ‘Best I’ve felt here’

Buffalo Bills safety Mike Edwards has finally hit the field.

Edwards, who signed a one-year deal in Buffalo this offseason, has largely been off the field.

Head coach Sean McDermott said at the start of training camp that it was anticipated that Edwards could be in line to start at safety. However, after a shoulder injury kept him off the field during spring practices, Edwards was brought along slowly during camp.

Then Edwards sustained a hamstring injury, which pushed that plan aside.

Edwards is finally now out there with his teammates with a mere two weeks until the start of the season. Edwards was part of an improved injury report on Thursday that was announced by McDermott.

“It’s just a matter of, there’s a lot of murkiness right now. But we’ve been through this before,” McDermott said via video conference. “You have a number of injuries and then all of the sudden, Week 1, you’re down to, like, three guys on the injury report. We’ll go through that and we’ll work our butts off. I know they will, as well, to get back and help our team.”

On the personal front, Edwards gave a positive update himself as well.

“Feeling good. Feeling the best I’ve felt since I got here,” Edwards said.

For more from Edwards, see the attached Batavia Daily News clip below:

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Bills won’t ‘flinch’ at safety injuries: ‘No panic, no nothing, next guy up’

#Bills won’t ‘flinch’ at safety injuries: ‘No panic, no nothing, next guy up’

The Buffalo Bills have an injury problem at safety.

That is, in everyone’s eyes except Bobby Babich.

The defensive coordinator discussed the bumps and bruises that are ongoing at the position at training camp this week. Second-round rookie Cole Bishop (shoulder) joined Mike Edwards (hamstring) on the sideline. Both are considered “week-to-week.”

That forced the team’s hand to sign a pair of free agents, Kareem Jackson and Terrell Burgess. However, Damar Hamlin is now at top of the depth chart as he was battling Bishop and Edwards for a starting spot.

Despite all that, Babich said he won’t let his team “flinch” at the injury issue.

“No panic, no nothing, next guy up. We’ll move forward,” Babich said.

At the other safety spot there was a bit more compassion found.

Taylor Rapp looks cemented into a starting spot there as the Bills look for his partner.

“It’s kind of unfortunate,” Rapp said via video conference. “Seen a lot of growth from them.”

“It’s always next-man up mentality, especially in this business,” Rapp added.

For more from Babich, see the attached clip below:

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Bills injury update: Potential starter Mike Edwards hurt again

#Bills injury update: Potential starter Mike Edwards hurt again:

Veteran safety Mike Edwards has not had the start he had once envisioned for himself with the Buffalo Bills.

Without Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, the Bills tossed Edwards into the fold this offseason. The 27-year-old was signed to a one-year deal.

However, he is currently sidelined for the second time before even getting a legitimate shot at taking over at safety.

On Monday, head coach Sean McDermott announced that Edwards is “week-to-week” with a hamstring injury.  That comes after Edwards missed spring practices due to a shoulder issue earlier this offseason.

Early in camp McDermott indicated that the team had envisioned Edwards as a potential starter at safety. Because of the shoulder injury he was not among the first-team defense when training camp opened.

Edwards was going to be brought along slowly and get his shot, now it’s unclear.

“It’s a part of the game, on one hand,” McDermott said via video conference. “The other part is, in order to get the scheme down the way you need to get it down, you need to be out there. But Mike’s a pro, he’s been around it before, so I’m sure he’ll do his best to stay up as best as he can on the mental end of things.”

There were other injury updates provided by the coach as well. Offensive lineman Mike Edwards (same name) is in the concussion protocol. In addition, wide reciever Chase Claypool is considered “day-to-day” with a toe injury.

Edwards (safety position) was spotted at Bills practice with the team’s medical personnel, which can be seen in the WROC-TV clip below:

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Matt Milano and all Bills players practicing in full at start of training camp

All positives on the injury front to start #Bills training camp:

The Buffalo Bills opened training camp  at full health as a team. The most notable name on the list is Matt Milano.

The All-Pro linebacker was on the field and was considered a full participant during workouts, according to head coach Sean McDermott.

During Buffalo’s trip to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, Milano’s campaign came to an end due to a leg injury.

Most recently, Milano was a limited participant during the spring at minicamp workouts.

Despite Milano’s return, McDermott did admit that he would be “managed.”

Other players coming off injuries who were limited in the spring were right tackle Spencer Brown (shoulder) and potential starting safety Mike Edwards (shoulder). Because Edwards could not practice in the spring, he currently is the defense’s second-string safety behind Damar Hamlin.

Finally, McDermott noted pass rusher Von Miller. He had returned to the fold in 2023 from an ACL injury the year prior. The coach said he’s “excited” for Miller to have a bounce-back season after now having a full offseason of healing his previous injury.

McDermott’s full breakdown on the positive injury updates can be found below:

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Mike Edwards wears shoulder sling at Bills OTAs

Injury update:

Mike Edwards has not appeared at Buffalo Bills spring practices (OTAs) despite only recently joining the team.

Edwards, 28, inked a one-year deal in Buffalo in March. However, head coach Sean McDermott said do not expect to see Edwards on the practice field for the next few weeks.

Per McDermott, Edwards is dealing with a shoulder injury that will keep him off the field.

Edwards confirmed that on Tuesday inadvertently. He was spotted on the side of spring practice wearing a sling.

ESPN shared that image on social media which can be found below:

PFF grades the Bills’ work in free agency

PFF grades the #Bills’ work in free agency:

The Bills have been active in the first wave of NFL free agency, addressing roster needs with players who can be valuable contributors and rotation players in all three phases.

Similarly, letting some players walk in free agency while releasing and trading others has created cap relief and added draft capital while freeing up money to add cost-efficient talent.

Headlined by the additions of WR Curtis Samuel and LB Nicholas Morrow, a mix of new and familiar faces have been signed and re-signed.

While it’s worth noting that additional signings have taken place, including DE Casey Toohill and S Mike Edwards, with more potential moves on the way as the team has reportedly met with S Julian Blackmon and DE Austin Johnson on free agency visits, and still have a number of their own free agents available as well.

Had they been factored in, Toohill, who’s had solid numbers as a depth and rotation player, and Edwards, who has the second most defensive TDs in the NFL since 2021 (5) and two Super Bowl championships with Tampa and Kansas City to his name, may have affected the grade.

Nonetheless, here is the Bills 2024 free agency grade prior to those additions, according to Pro Football Focus…

BUFFALO BILLS

Epenesa has two straight seasons with strong production as a pass rusher, notching pressure rates above 10% and pass-rush grades above 70.0. He’s a big edge who has gotten faster off the ball as he’s developed, and he’ll still be just 25 in Week 1 of 2024, so there could be more improvement ahead.

Jones came out of the gates of the 2023 season on fire as an interior pass rusher, and the continued growth of Ed Oliver has enabled the two to work off each other and weaponize twists and stunts on the interior more effectively. Oliver still has a quick get-off and a bursty second step in his 30s, and Buffalo needed to add more defensive linemen, so why not retain a player you know is a fit as a three- to five-technique?

Buffalo looks ready to move on from the dynamic duo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, who had an incredible run as the starting safety tandem for years. Rapp is a good box defender, and the Bills structured this deal in a way that they can approach it year to year while also buying out two additional years from Rapp.

PFF FREE AGENCY GRADE: B-

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NFL free agency: Mike Edwards signs with Bills after visiting Colts

The Colts held a visit for Mike Edwards but he signed with the Bills on Wednesday.

The Indianapolis Colts held a visit for safety Mike Edwards in free agency this week, but he wound up signing with the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday.

There is still a pretty big hole the Colts have to fill at the strong safety position. With Edwards off the market, it will be interesting to see if they turn their attention to retaining Julian Blackmon.

Blackmon has taken visits with the Buffalo Bills (prior to signing Edwards) and the San Francisco 49ers.

There is still a chance Blackmon and the Colts come together on a contract to bring him back to the Circle City. He thrived in his role as a strong safety after making the switch during the 2023 offseason. He’s a talented player even with a slightly concerning injury history.

The Colts have been relatively quiet during the second week of free agency, opting to re-sign two depth pieces in the forms of Danny Pinter and Taven Bryan.

We’ll see what kind of moves the Colts will make with the month of March coming to an end, but their options to add a strong safety are getting slimmer.

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Former Chiefs DB Mike Edwards signs with Buffalo Bills

Former Kansas City #Chiefs safety Mike Edwards signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo #Bills.

The Kansas City Chiefs lose another member of their Super Bowl LVIII winning defense, with the latest departure coming from the secondary.

After publicly meeting with several teams at the start of free agency, Safety Mike Edwards officially joined the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday. The announcement was made on the Bills’ social media account, featuring a photo of Edwards ironically putting pen to paper with an image of him in a Chiefs uniform in the background.

The complete terms of the deal weren’t announced, but it was confirmed to be a one-season agreement with the 27-year-old.

During his lone season with the Chiefs, he collected one interception, two fumble recoveries, one fumble recovery for a touchdown, and 51 total tackles in 17 games, including five starts. The fumble recovery for a touchdown was memorable during the matchup against the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany. The six-year veteran was valuable to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s secondary depth.

The two-time Super Bowl champion will be an addition to a Bills unit that has gone through significant changes on defense this offseason. Kansas City could be in the market for adding in the secondary during next month’s NFL Draft.

NFL free agency: Colts host S Mike Edwards for visit

The Colts hosted free-agent S Mike Edwards for a visit Monday.

The Indianapolis Colts held a free-agent visit for safety Mike Edwards on Monday, per the league’s transaction wire.

A third-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, Edwards entered the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent four seasons with the Bucs before signing a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency during the 2023 offseason.

Edwards has the versatility to work both as a free and strong safety. With the Chiefs, he primarily lined up as a free safety but spent a solid chunk of his snaps in the box. He had similar splits with the Buccaneers as well.

During the 2023 season, Edwards appeared in all 17 games while making five starts. He recorded 51 tackles (32 solo), two tackles for loss, five passes defensed and one interception.

According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded five run stops and allowed a 66.4 passer rating in coverage on 28 targets.

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