Edmunds explains why he’s so excited to be with Eagles originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

When Terrell Edmunds began talking to the Eagles about joining the team, the conversations were based around football.

Then they became about more than that.

Edmunds, 26, signed a one-year deal on Friday to join the Eagles and then explained why he thinks it’s such a good fit and why he’s so excited it happened.

“It started off as football and then it got to knowing the real person,” Edmunds said on a videoconference call Friday afternoon. “Just talking and learning about the culture of Philadelphia, about the Eagles and about everything the Eagles stand on.

“I think that’s something I fell in love with, just going out there, having that Dawg mentality, putting everything out there on the line for the person beside you and just playing together as one. I think that’s something that really drove me to come here.”

The Steelers drafted Edmunds in the first round out of Virginia Tech back in 2018 and he spent the first five seasons of his career in Pittsburgh, playing in 79 games with 75 starts.

He’s never really lived up to that draft status but Edmunds has been a productive player in his career. In 2022, he started 15 games and had 70 tackles, 2 sacks and 5 pass breakups.

Known more as a box safety, Edmunds was moved all around the formation with the Steelers. Via ProFootballFocus, here’s a look at how his snaps broke down in 2022:

Box: 322
Free safety: 254
Slot corner: 195
D-line: 66
Wide corner: 49

“I’d definitely say I’m a versatile player,” Edmunds said on Friday. “Someone who’s going to go out there and give everything I got in whatever position the coach puts me in. Wherever they need me to go, I’m going to go out and give 110 percent. Again, I’m just ready to go to work now. I’m just excited. I’m ready to go out there and put on for Philly.”

With the Eagles, Edmunds is very likely going to be a starting safety after both Marcus Epps and C.J. Gardner-Johnson left in free agency. The top incumbent safeties were Reed Blankenship and K’Von Wallace. The Eagles also added free agent Justin Evans for depth.

Edmunds seems excited about the culture in Philly and he got a couple up-close looks at that last year. The Eagles hosted the Steelers in Week 8 last season, winning 35-13. Edmunds came away impressed with the roster and the atmosphere at the Linc.

He was also impressed last June when he played in DeVonta Smith’s celebrity softball game in Allentown. That experience gave Edmunds a chance to spend time with his new teammates long before he knew he’d end up as an Eagle.

“Yeah, we definitely kept in touch, especially on social media,” Edmunds said. “That day you could just tell how close they really were. It wasn’t just ‘I’m your teammate and then I go home.’ Those guys out there at the softball game, even though they tried to stack their team, just had a good time out there, playing together.

“And you could tell that they were competitive. And that’s something that you want in any team. People that want to go out there and compete, love to go out there and work and get each other better.”

There’s some obvious pressure that comes with being a first-round pick and Edmunds experienced that after the Steelers took him 28th overall in 2018. But he was able to deal with that pressure because of lessons he learned from his parents, who taught him to just put his head down and go to work.

This time last season, Edmunds was still left unsigned but he eventually went back to the Steelers on a one-year deal. This offseason was similar, Edmunds said. The only difference is that he’s now on the other side of the state.

Even though he will be just 26 this entire season, there’s a reason Edmunds hasn’t cashed in on a big contract and there are plenty of folks who think he’s a solid … but limited player.

Edmunds views this one-year deal with the Eagles as a chance to change the narrative.

“I guess the next step, you can say, is just being an Eagle,” he said. “All old narratives can change now because you’re in a new spot. You’re in a new spot. You got a chance to make a new impression, you got a chance to go out there and put everything out there and really buy into the culture. Go out there with your new teammates and do whatever you have to do. And I think that’s just something, give everything I can to the Eagles organization.”

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