Philadelphia Eagles: T.J. Edwards gets some love from Pro Football Focus

While the Philadelphia Eagles linebacking corps is very much a work in progress, Pro Football Focus had some very nice things to say about T.J. Edwards’ future.

T.J. Edwards is probably the least touted starter on the Philadelphia Eagles‘ roster.

An undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin, Edwards took over for Zach Brown as the Birds’ base package middle linebacker in Week 7 and never looked back. He finished out the season with 30 tackles in 120 defensive snaps, and all but cemented a spot on the Eagles’ roster in 2020 and beyond.

And apparently, the fine folks over at Pro Football Focus have taken particular note of Edwards strong rookie campaign.

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On a recent episode of the PFF NFL Podcast, hosts Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson went through the 25 best players under 25 in the NFL and surprise surprise no member of the Eagles, not even Miles Sanders, was on the list. However, after verbally working through the list on the pod, the duo gave props to a few more youngsters across the NFL who deserved a little extra love, and that, my friends, is where Edwards got so much appreciated shine.

Per Monson, Edwards was not particularly high on PFF’s pre-draft board because of his average-at-best athleticism but made up for it with great play in coverage as the Badgers’ inside linebacker. While his 4.77 40 yard dash and 6.99 3-cone drill ultimately resulted in the four-year starter going undrafted, Edwards parlayed his solid college play directly into the NFL, earning an 86.6 PFF overall grade in limited action.

Mind you, Edwards isn’t the modern ‘Ryan Shazier‘-type linebacker who can blanket the field from sideline to sideline or a matchup piece capable of shutting down a tight end on first down, a running back on second down, and a wide receiver in the slot on third down like Isaiah Simmons, at least in theory, but the 6-foot-1, 240 pound 24-year-old is without a doubt a modern-day thumper capable of dropping the hammer between the tackles and making the right reads in zone coverage.

Is Edwards capable of being an every-down linebacker like Jordan Hick before him? Probably not, but Edwards’ instincts, vision, and general ‘good at football’-ness will surely keep him in the league well into a second professional contract – a feat that few other college linebackers with his athletic profile have been able to accomplish.

To me, Edwards’ game is very reminiscent of Denzel Perryman, the Los Angles‘ part-time starting middle linebacker. Like Edwards, Perryman ran a sub-optimal 4.78 coming out of college but made up for it with fantastic play in the middle of Miami’s defense. Since being selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Perryman has never played more than 45 percent of the Chargers’ defensive snaps and has largely been considered a disappointment since he doesn’t see the field on obvious passing downs.

Had Edwards played college ball like six years earlier, he too may have been a second-round pick, but because of his UDFA status, playing 40 percent of the team’s defensive snaps would be a massive steal for an Eagles franchise in desperate need for even average play in the middle of their defense.

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If the 2020 NFL Draft is of any indication, the Philadelphia Eagles are looking to get faster on the defensive side of the ball. Still, if T.J. Edwards can continue to play at a high level in an expanded role, he’ll remain a stalwart of Jim Schwartz‘s defense – and Dave Fipp‘s special teams unit – for years to come as a base package middle linebacker and goal-line specialist.

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