Steelers JuJu Smith-Schuster, Terrell Edmunds Ranked in The Athletic’s Top 75 Free Agents
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and safety Terrell Edmunds placed in The Athletic’s top 75 free agents this offseason.
Smith-Schuster sits at No. 54 and ninth best wide receiver on this list. He returned to the Steelers for the 2021 season after signing a contract that offered less money and incentives from other teams.
He only played five regular season games after suffering a shoulder injury against the Denver Broncos in late September, that kept him out the rest of the regular season. In those five games, Smith-Schuster had 15 catches on 28 targets or 129 yards. He also rushed three times for nine yards and a touchdown.
Smith-Schuster did come back in the playoffs for the Steelers Wild Card Round game against Kansas City, but was largely ineffective, catching five passes for only 26 yards.
Another team that Smith-Schuster has been interested in joining is the Chiefs, who did offer him in free agency last season.
Smith-Schuster has also said that he loves Pittsburgh and that “it would be nice to stay here another four years.”
“It seems unlikely that Smith-Schuster will find a richer deal than he was offered last offseason, given that he had just 15 catches for 129 yards,” The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia wrote. “But he’s still just 25 years old and could interest teams in the market for a tough slot receiver.”
Edmunds ranks at No. 74 and eighth out of nine safeties on this list. Originally selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh actually declined Edmunds’ fifth-year option last offseason. The 25-year-old totaled 89 combined tackles, six passes defended, two interceptions and a sack in 2021.
“He hasn’t lived up to his draft slot (28th overall pick in 2018), but Edmunds is one of the youngest players on this list, having just turned 25 in January,” Kapadia wrote. “And he’s been incredibly durable, having missed just one game in four seasons. Edmunds is mostly a box safety, but he logged over 250 snaps as both a slot corner and a free safety last season. A team could convince itself that Edmunds’ best football is still ahead of him.”
Both players also ranked in ESPN’s top 50 free agents this offseason.
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