Could Steelers reunite with former first-round pick following release?

It's not often that a highly experienced former first-round pick becomes available this time of year, but that's exactly what happened on the NFL's cutdown day on Tuesday.

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Jaguars are releasing veteran safety Terrell Edmunds, a first-round pick by the Steelers in the 2018 NFL Draft.

While Edmunds has never lived up to his first-round expectations and has bounced around in recent years, he's been productive throughout his six-year NFL career with 458 tackles, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, six interceptions and 28 passes defensed.

That's exactly why Jacksonville is hoping to bring Edmunds back on its practice squad, but that will only happen if another team doesn't sign him to its 53-man roster.

Could that team be Pittsburgh?

A reunion could make sense for the Steelers, but finding a spot for Edmunds will be difficult. They already have safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick, DeShon Elliott, Damontae Kazee, Miles Killebrew and Ryan Watts on their roster.

However, if they value Edmunds more than any of their other safeties, they could find a way to make room for him.

Head coach Mike Tomlin always preaches availability throughout the long NFL season, and that's exactly what Edmunds has provided throughout his career, never playing in less than 15 games in a season.

Kazee, on the other hand, has only played in 23 games since joining Pittsburgh in 2022 due to suspension and injuries, and there is still a lot of unknown with the rookie Watts.

Edmunds' familiarity with Pittsburgh's defense can't be overlooked, either. The 27-year-old spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Steelers and established a role for himself on defense.

It wouldn't hurt to see if Edmunds could do the same in 2024.