Philadelphia Eagles: T.J. Edwards’ ceiling and floor in 2021
Floor: T.J. Edwards reverts to a glorified special teamer.
15 years ago, T.J. Edwards would have been a star.
Measuring in at 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, Edwards would have been thrown on a set over oversized shoulder pads, picked out a perfect Brian Bosworth-esque neck roll, and easily made millions by bursting through the A-gap on a one-way ticket to whichever poor, unfortunate soul has the ball.
But now? Edwards just isn’t built for the modern NFL game.
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While Edwards did play 490 defensive snaps for the Eagles last season, that had more to do with the lack of talent around him than the former Badgers’ development from game to game. With Alex Singleton and Eric Wilson now in place, the Eagles’ overall talent level isn’t as big of a concern as it was a season prior, and thus, everything could conceivably change.
Even if Edwards initially begins the season as a starter for the Eagles at middle linebacker, which is likely how things will shake out, it’s hard to see a world where he’s on the field for more than 35 percent of the team’s defensive snaps with much regularity, with his value shifting back to that of a glorified special teamer.
Factor in the continued development of soon-to-be sophomores like Davion Taylor and Shaun Bradley, a pair of speedy undersized linebackers who have the physical tools needed to become viable players, and the 24-year-old Edwards may find himself a man without a defined role just in time to his restricted free agency upon season’s end.
That, my friends, would be a disaster scenario for Edwards’ NFL prospects.
In Minnesota, Jonathan Gannon became accustomed to having an uber-athletic middle linebacker in Mychael Kendricks’ brother Eric manning the middle of the defense. If he wants to build his defense around a similar philosophy, deploying Singleton or Wilson at middle linebacker may simply outweigh the experience of going with Edwards, for better or worse.
If that happens, don’t be too surprised if 2021 marks T.J. Edwards’ final season in a Philadelphia Eagles uniform and he has to attempt to rehab his career elsewhere, maybe on a team like the Green Bay Packers who run a 3-4 defensive front that’s not too dissimilar to the one he made his bones in at Wisconsin. While losing Edwards would be a bummer, if he doesn’t fit with the pay Jonathan Gannon likes to play, an amicable decoupling may be the best option for all parties involved.
Next. The Philadelphia Eagles are all in on Jalen Hurts…for now. dark
What role do you think T.J. Edwards will play for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021? Let us know in the comments section below!