Former Illinois Lineman TeRah Edwards Comes Up Big in NFL Preseason Debut

The 2025 NFL season officially kicked off (sort of) with Thursday's Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, as the Los Angeles Chargers crushed the Detroit Lions 34-7. An early preseason game featuring teams based hundreds of miles from Champaign might otherwise have been a blip for Illinois football fans, but the astute among them knew there was something on the line: undrafted rookie defensive lineman and Illini alum TeRah Edwards was competing for a roster spot.

Edwards didn't play all that much for the Chargers, but he stood out in his limited action. He got into the game with San Diego's third-team defense and finished the night with two tackles, a quarterback hit and, notably, a sack.Edwards signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent after recording 65 tackles, four sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss in three seasons at Illinois.

Regardless whether Edwards makes the Chargers' roster or hooks on elsewhere, the former All-Big Ten selection can officially say he recorded a sack in his first NFL game. For some of the players who appeared tonight, this will be the only NFL action they will ever participate in. It would be a shock if that Edwards were in that group – he figures to play in the Chargers' next preseason game and has a good chance to hang on at least through the preseason – but good for him for delivering in the moment.

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