Mike Edwards And Round 3 In Tampa
March 3rd, 2025
Todd Bowles was pounding a drum for ballhawks last week in Indianapolis.
In the modern era of Bucs football, when Joe thinks “ballhawks,” Joe thinks of a guy invited back to the Bucs roster in November.
That’s Bucs 2019 third-round draft pick Mike Edwards, the versatile safety/nickel cornerback. In 30 career regular season starts, Edwards has 8 interceptions. In postseason play, Edwards has another 3 picks, including one for the Chiefs in January of 2024.
Jamel Dean? He’s more than doubled Edwards’ career starts and doesn’t have nearly the ballhawk production.
So Joe is thinking Edwards, a pending free agent, is a guy the Bucs want to invite back for a third go-round in Tampa.
He turns 29 in May and has low mileage on his body, and Joe doesn’t know of a major injury in his history. Edwards’ time off in 2021? That was tied to getting busted for a phony vaccine card.
Remember, Bowles himself said Edwards changed the Bucs defense (in a good way) before he got hurt late last season.
Edwards will come very cheap and Bowles seems to love bringing back players that know his defense.
This almost seems like a no-brainer move for the Bucs — to let Edwards compete for a job.
March 3rd, 2025 at 5:36 pm
Is there a list of Bucs Free Agents? All of them we want to keep need to be signed this week don’t they?
March 3rd, 2025 at 5:38 pm
Decent backup. With him, Merriweather, Izien and Tykee, we have a good crop of safety/nickels. We just need a new outside corner opposite Zyon
March 3rd, 2025 at 6:05 pm
I’ve been a big Mike Edwards fan and was disappointed when the bucks let him go after the 2022 season, especially after the Ryan Neil debacle….
But Edwards didn’t look quite the same this season as he once did in his first stint with the Bucs…. Looked a bit slower this year…. But he also wasn’t here for the off-season program and I think another year of Bowles working with him he can potentially get back to his original form.
Hopefully, he can get back to the level he was when he picked off Matt Ryan for back to back pick sixes.
March 3rd, 2025 at 6:14 pm
Dew … Bucs have 22 Unrestricted FAs plus 3 Restricted FAs. My guess is that we’ll re-sign roughly a little more than half of them. The Unrestricted we’ll probably re-sign …
o Godwin
o LVD
o Nelson
o Gaines
o Bredeson
o Opeta
o Skule
o Shepard
o Shaq
o Hall
o Edwards
o Britt
The Unrestricted who I’m guessing won’t be re-signed for various reasons and to make room for rookies & other UFAs …
o JTS
o Edmonds
o Thomas
o Trask
o Gholston
o Hill
o Hainsey
o Newman
o Neal
o Banks
Plus Restricted FAs who will most likely be re-signed …
o Russell
o Merriweather
o Brewer
March 3rd, 2025 at 6:27 pm
Thanks Defense
March 3rd, 2025 at 7:19 pm
I wouldn’t mind Edward’s back.
March 3rd, 2025 at 7:22 pm
DR –
I’m guessing from looking at your list that Shepard and Britt will not be re-signed unless its for a vet min contract – then maybe.
There’s a decent chance they will re-sign Tavierre Thomas and also a reasonable chance of re-signing Trask IMO….
March 3rd, 2025 at 7:23 pm
Cappa was released by Cincinnati.
I wonder if we will bring him back as a backup.
March 3rd, 2025 at 7:24 pm
I think when people leave from us, they end up taking on the identity of the other organization. Then when they come back, they’re fighting to get back to what we want them to be. Just a thought
March 3rd, 2025 at 7:34 pm
Meh 4th S at best – if the D was as bad as we all keep ranting about why bring back the same players?
March 3rd, 2025 at 7:41 pm
Happy to have him backup Smith
March 3rd, 2025 at 7:52 pm
Edawrds could be a very useful depth piece for the D. I do remember how Edwards was forced off the field because of a fake vax card. I do believe thta he got busted along with Antonio Bryant, hopefully the Bucs’ brain trust does not hold that against him.
March 3rd, 2025 at 8:09 pm
Hall is not a free agent til 26
March 3rd, 2025 at 8:19 pm
Since this is a post about the secondary, Darius Slay was just released by the Eagles.
Should we kick the tires? Any interest? CB depth?
March 3rd, 2025 at 8:25 pm
Peter … That’s Bryce Hall, the CB we signed as a FA last year (from the Jets) who got hurt in Training Camp & spent the year on IR. He’s actually quite good (assuming that he’s healed up of course). Great size (6’1″ & 202 lbs) and still only 27 years old.
March 3rd, 2025 at 8:29 pm
DB Mike Hilton with the Bengals might be available? Tl
March 3rd, 2025 at 8:30 pm
Pickgrin … I’m admittedly on the fence about both Shepard & Britt, but I’m assuming both can be re-signed for the vet minimum. Trask I’m convinced wants to move on to somewhere that he’ll at least get a chance to compete for a starting gig. Thomas I loved when we first signed him, but he really hasn’t shown anything since coming here. The fact that he only got 45 def snaps last year when we were really hurting for CBs kinda says a lot IMO.
March 3rd, 2025 at 8:45 pm
Bryce Hall is indeed good and his injury was a big loss. Edwards also can play and should be brought back. Let’s hope we see a much larger mix of man to man on defense in 2025. Opposing QBs got used to the gimme completions. Maybe we can stack up some picks in the first few games because opposing QBs saw the Swiss cheese zone and abused the D’Souza soft underbelly.
March 3rd, 2025 at 8:46 pm
Darius Slay.
March 3rd, 2025 at 8:49 pm
In favor of a return of Edwards & Hall, guys that know the D and at a minimum provide solid depth. Don’t see Edwards beating out Smith for the job next to Winfield, but def think Hall has a solid chance at a starting gig at CB as long as he’s healthy.
March 3rd, 2025 at 9:33 pm
Mike Edwards is a ballhawk!
We absolutely need to resign him.
I really noticed him during the Super Bowl season.
I never agreed with us cutting/letting him go.
Personally, I think he’s on the precipice where he could be a starter.
Definitely a solid rotational player.
Bring him back!
March 3rd, 2025 at 10:23 pm
Do ballhawks typically play 10 yards off receivers on 3rd and 4?
Asking for a friend.
28-27
March 3rd, 2025 at 10:49 pm
Love Edwards as a rotational piece and a spot starter. I think Winfield and Smith will be a formidable duo this season is they can stay in the field.
March 3rd, 2025 at 11:11 pm
I’d be happy to have Edwards back.
Darius Slay was mentioned. He is 34. I don’t know about that.
March 3rd, 2025 at 11:43 pm
Darius Slay released!
March 4th, 2025 at 2:49 am
He should already be at OBP!
Deans agent should be looking for options.
Jason should be looking for some trade partners to get some extra picks.
Go Bucs!
March 4th, 2025 at 3:43 am
Aqualung … ‘Let’s hope we see a much larger mix of man to man on defense in 2025. Opposing QBs got used to the gimme completions.’
Agree wholeheartedly with you on that one. Injuries on defense obviously hurt us last year, but the Bucs were still capable of playing a much tighter defense even with the backups in. I think we took the (seemingly) safe approach in too many games and backed off trying to eliminate explosive plays.
The fact that we gave up 40 TDs last year (27 passing & 13 rushing) versus only 34 in 2023 (23 passing & 11 rushing) tells me we slid backwards defensively. The fact that we only got 18 takeaways last year (7 INTs & 11 FRs) versus 26 in 2023 (13 INTs & 13 FRs) also makes a statement about defensive aggressiveness (or lack thereof?).
March 4th, 2025 at 9:21 am
i kinda wish smb was still in the building too
March 4th, 2025 at 12:36 pm
DR – points allowed also spiked up.
From what we read, Todd acknowledges this. Hoping for positive lab results.