What does Mike Edwards bring to KC Chiefs’ defense?

The Kansas City Chiefs added former Buccaneers safety Mike Edwards in one of their latest free-agent signings. What does the veteran bring to the Chiefs’ defense?

Fans should not be surprised that the Kansas City Chiefs added a safety in free agency. After all, both Juan Thornhill and Deon Bush were free agents after the 2023 season, and the Chiefs’ safety room was down to two players. The team needed to round out the depth chart, but they did much more than that when they signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Mike Edwards. They signed an insurance policy for Bryan Cook and Justin Reid.

Edwards had a solid four years in Tampa Bay after the Buccaneers drafted him 99th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. After all, he is a Super Bowl champion. That Tampa Bay team is not going back to a Super Bowl anytime soon after the retirement of quarterback Tom Brady. Edwards leaving a once-contending team for the Chiefs is a savvy career move. It is even better for Kansas City after Edwards signed a one-year, $3 million contract.

Edwards is coming off of what some would call a down year. He must have set the bar high for himself if 82 combined tackles, two interceptions, and one touchdown in 13 games is not ideal. But, to his critics’ point, Edwards was not as great statistically in coverage this past season, allowing a 110.4 passer rating when targeted, compared to 67.9 in 2021. That spike is not great, but Edwards’ track record says the 2022 coverage skills were an outlier. His former teammate Logan Ryan gave Edwards a glowing recommendation to the Chiefs Kingdom.

If you look up Mike Edwards highlights, you are going to see a lot of aggressive plays on the ball. He has a reputation for getting to the ball and undercutting routes at just the right time. Hopefully, that aggression has been tempered after the 2022 season, because that is what mostly got him in trouble.

Coverage number aside, this was the depth signing Kansas City needed at the safety position. Reid started his first year in Kansas City quietly but had an underrated good season for the Chiefs. He is the incumbent top safety in Kansas City, but fans hope to see a more dominant Reid in 2023. Cook showed flashes in his debut season but also showed some of the boneheaded mistakes rookies make. Those mistakes won’t define his whole career, but fans shouldn’t quickly crown him as Thornhill’s successor. Between those two, Edwards brings a veteran safety net for Cook and another defensive weapon for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Thornhill was a one-dimensional safety who was great at that one dimension in 2022. That is what landed him a three-year, $21 million contract with the Cleveland Browns. Spagnuolo prefers a safety that can do a lot of good rather than one great thing. That is one reason Tyrann Mathieu starred so much in Kansas City. Matthieu was all over the field because Spagnuolo trusted him to do so. In 2022, Edwards had more than 90 snaps in the box, in the slot, and as a free safety. Juan Thornhill hit all those wickets as well, but with a smaller ratio in the box, and Thornhill had less success in the box than Edwards did. Thornhill lined up everywhere because that is what Spagnuolo’s scheme demanded. Edwards will do that too, but he will be more successful in the three-safety sets that Spags deploys.

One thing that Edwards keeps in Kansas City is championship experience. He has postseason playing experience in the past three seasons, including the aforementioned Super Bowl win. Reid and Cook have that, sure, but that experience is invaluable and not readily available on the free-agent market.

Kansas City fans saw how well Thornhill performed in a contract year. Now, they could see that again in 2023. Edwards will have just turned 27 when training camp starts, and a great season in Kansas City could give him one more shot at a lengthy contract. After all, Thornhill is 27 now and got a three-year payday. Edwards would likely want the same, especially as the 30-year mark is detrimental for safeties around the league. The 2023 season will be his chance to get that last big contract, so he will have to have his best year yet for the Chiefs.

I may be overestimating Edwards’ impact in 2023. Anything and everything is possible; that is how it works with every free agent signing or rookie draft selection. But Edwards has the motivation, skills, and fit to be very good in Kansas City. For his sake and the team’s, here’s hoping he turns it on in the 2023 season.