Mario Edwards will have an opportunity to carve out a role for a sixth NFL team. The Seahawks are signing the veteran defensive lineman, Jeremy Fowler and Brady Henderson of ESPN.com report.
The former second-round pick agreed to a one-year deal Thursday. After time with the Raiders, Giants, Saints, Bears and Titans, Edwards will make his way to Seattle to join a revamped defensive line. Although Edwards did not finish out his rookie contract with the Raiders, the 2015 No. 35 overall pick has managed to remain a rotational D-lineman well after his Oakland departure.
After the Bears cut bait on a three-year, $11.7M deal in 2022, Edwards started seven games for the Titans. The 29-year-old defender registered three sacks during his one-season Tennessee stint. He notched six in two years with the Bears. Pro Football Focus graded Edwards barely inside the top 100 at his position last season but viewed the 280-pound D-lineman as a plus run defender. Edwards has spent the past three seasons in 3-4 defensive schemes.
The Florida State alum has spent his career as a rotational presence, but his 464 defensive snaps last season marked his most since 2017. The Titans have now lost Edwards and DeMarcus Walker — a Bears signee — from their 2022 defensive line. For his career, Edwards has made 32 starts, but only eight of those have come over the past five seasons, and he has tallied 19.5 sacks.
Seattle has again made many changes to its defensive front. Shelby Harris, Quinton Jefferson, Al Woods, Poona Ford and L.J. Collier are off the roster. The team has added Dre’Mont Jones and brought back Jarran Reed up front. The Seahawks also drafted two Day 3 D-linemen (Cameron Young, Mike Morris) to provide some depth. Edwards stands to assist the rising NFC West team in that department.
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