TJ Edwards is one of my favorite stories ever in terms of an underdog Philadelphia athlete. He’s a linebacker that went from being a UDFA as a rookie, to now a highly touted free agent in 2023’s offseason, and for good reason. He’s a player who since becoming a starter in week 8 of the 2021 season ranks first among all off-ball linebackers with a PFF grade of 88.5.
But he isn’t just a pro football focus player. His great play constantly shows up on film. He has great play recognition, is rarely out of position, and is great against both the run and pass. The only weakness of his game is athleticism, as Jonny Page of BGN put it the other day, “He [Edwards] will never have the athleticism to be an elite linebacker, but he is consistently solid and deserves a huge amount of credit for his play.”
Howie Roseman’s decision here will be fascinating. Roseman has only given big money to an off-ball linebacker once in his GM career, and that was to Nigel Bradham, who after receiving a five-year, $40 million deal, was non-existent for the rest of his Eagles career.
Considering Philadelphia’s lack of positional interest in off-ball linebackers, it’s hard to imagine Edwards is going to get paid as much as he’s projected by the Eagles. PFF is currently projecting a 3 year, $36 million deal with $22 guaranteed. I predict that Howie Roseman will look at that and say, “for an off-ball linebacker? No way!” But I’ve been wrong before.
If he does decide to get rid of Edwards, Philadelphia’s LB room will be far from in shambles. They’ll likely resign Kyzir White for a much cheaper price (projected at $5.5 million a year) on a two year deal which will give them stability in that particular linebacker position. At the MIKE, Nakobe Dean will be waiting in the wings. And while Dean might have some growing pains at the middle LB spot, but with his intelligence as a player, it’s a good bet that he’ll improve to eventually fill in for Edward’s absence.