Return of safety Mike Edwards in uniform is welcome sight for Bills defense
There was a welcome sight in a uniform on the Buffalo Bills’ practice field Wednesday: No. 21. Veteran safety Mike Edwards donned a helmet and pads for the first time since Day 4 of training camp on July 28.
There was a welcome sight in a uniform on the Buffalo Bills’ practice field Wednesday: No. 21.
Veteran safety Mike Edwards donned a helmet and pads for the first time since Day 4 of training camp on July 28.
Edwards, signed in the offseason from the Kansas City Chiefs and projected as a starter entering camp, took part in individual and defensive-back drills. He didn’t do 11-on-11 team portions of practice.
Bills safety Mike Edwards, seen Wednesday, suffered a significant hamstring injury early in training camp. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
But his presence in uniform was a promising sign at a worry position for the Bills just 18 days before their regular-season opener against the Arizona Cardinals.
“It felt great,” Edwards said afterward. “I told them I haven’t put shoulder pads on since the Super Bowl, so it’s been a long time. I’m definitely glad to put the pads back on and be back out there with my boys back on the field. Meeting room only goes so far.”
Edwards sat out all of spring practices while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. The significant hamstring pull so soon into camp was an emotional blow.
“It’s tough, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t,” Edwards said. “I was back right mentally physically and then three days into training camp, the hamstring. It’s definitely tough mentally more than anything, but I had to keep my head on straight, talk to people close to me.
Can Edwards be ready for the opener on Sept. 8?
“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “I’m just trying to get back for Week 1, that’s the most important thing. I’m trying to get my legs back and get my feet back because I haven’t been on the field in a long time. I’m trying to get that back. But I’m a ballplayer, so when I get back out there I have no question I’ll be good.”
The Bills have been starting fourth-year man Damar Hamlin alongside Taylor Rapp in the back of the defense. Hamlin is out with a sore hamstring but he has been in uniform the past two days and working in individual periods. With Hamlin out, sixth-year veteran Cam Lewis is starting next to Rapp.
Meanwhile, rookie Cole Bishop also is back practicing on a limited basis. He suffered a shoulder injury on July 30.
Who starts next to Rapp on Week 1? The answer may not come until the morning of the opener. But at least Edwards is closer to being back in the mix.
Edwards has played 86 NFL games and started 35 over five seasons. He spent his first four seasons in the aggressive, blitz-heavy scheme of Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles. Last year he started the last nine games of the season, including four playoff games, for Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who demands versatility and disguise from his safeties.
He said all that experience helps a bit in learning Sean McDermott’s Bills defense.
“I wouldn’t say easy but I can grasp it a little better just because I’ve been in two different systems and been in two complex systems with Bowles first and then Spags last year,” Edwards said. “This and Spags’ defense kind of go hand in hand, so to speak. But it’s still a tough defense to learn. I’ve got to stay with it and be right when I get back out there.”
Yet Edwards acknowledged there’s no substitute for full-speed practice.
“You can only do so much in the meeting room,” he said. “Walkthrough is a little better. To be on the field full speed with guys running at you – the motion and you gotta make all the checks especially at safety, that’s the big thing.”
Edwards and Bishop, the 60th overall pick in April’s draft, have been standing side by side every practice the past three weeks talking through the defensive calls while watching the defense.
“That’s my boy,” Edwards said. “We stay on top of it. Me being in the league six years, I’ve tried to take him under my wing a little bit. But we learn the defense together. This is my first year and his first year in the system. He helps me with some stuff and I help him with some stuff.”
Cornerback Taron Johnson said he’s encouraged the safety position is getting healthier.
“They’re in meetings, they’re talking in the meetings as if they’re in the game,” Johnson said. “Just getting out there in pads I think is huge for us, and eventually when they’re fully healthy getting some live reps in practice will help a ton.”
