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The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of work to do to remake the team’s roster for 2021. The very first step in what is sure to be a dramatic makeover came on Tuesday when the team waived running back Trey Edmunds.
Trey Edmunds in 2020
Edmunds—the older brother of Steelers strong safety Terrell Edmunds—has been with the team on and off since September 2018. He failed to make the 53-man roster out of training camp this year, but was quickly signed to the practice squad and elevated for the victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans (when ‘starting’ fullback Derek Watt was hampered by a hamstring issue).
After appearing in the game at Baltimore in early November, the 26-year-old was released on November 8th, then re-signed three days later when tight end Vance McDonald was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
But he suffered a hamstring injury against the Cincinnati Bengals on November 15th and was placed on injured reserve after missing the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In 2019, Edmunds appeared in 11 games for the Steelers and had 22 carries for 92 yards along with six receptions for 48 yards. That year he was a part of nine percent of the snaps on offense and 49 percent of the snaps on special teams.
Trey Edmunds to Sign with Another Team?
The timing of Edmunds’ release could be an indication that another playoff team is interested in signing him. If that happens, he wouldn’t be the first player to move from one team to another this postseason.
Offensive tackle Jared Veldheer, 33, played left tackle for the Indianapolis Colts this past Saturday, but after the team’s loss to the Buffalo Bills he signed with the Green Bay Packers. The move was permissible because Veldheer was on Indy’s practice squad and was elevated for the postseason game, after which he automatically reverted back to the practice squad.
If Veldheer appears for the Packers against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, he would become the first player in NFL history to play for two different clubs in the same postseason.
Terrell Edmunds’ Contract Status
Meanwhile, Trey’s brother Terrell just completed his third NFL season. As a former first-round draft pick (2018), the Steelers have to decide by early May whether to exercise the fifth-year option on his contract.
On the one hand, Terrell hasn’t lived up to his draft status. In fact, one NFL observer suggested he would be the strong safety on a hypothetical NFL All-Average Team. On the other hand, he has been durable. After Edmunds intercepted two passes against the Jaguars in November, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin described his best ability as “availability.”
Yet that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for a player who will earn a base salary of $1.94 million in 2021 and count $3.4 million against the salary cap.
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