2022 is a make or break year for Tremaine Edmunds

Bills LB Tremaine Edmunds is in a contract year with plenty to play for

In 2018, when Tremaine Edmunds was selected in the first round as one of the youngest players to be drafted in NFL history, the expectations were for him to be the franchise middle linebacker.

Has he fully reached those expectations? I would say not entirely, but it doesn’t mean he hasn’t been an outstanding linebacker for the Bills. Yes, he still makes some mistakes that need to be corrected, but he is still only 24 years old and he is one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL with still a lot of room to grow. Is the flack that he gets from fans warranted? Maybe a little, but not to the extent that people take it to.

Expectations for upcoming season

Going into this season, the entire Bills roster has monster expectations of bringing a Super Bowl to Buffalo, so the pressure isn’t solely on Edmunds. But here, we’re going to focus on Edmunds. I don’t want to get it twisted that his production has been outstanding since joining the Bills, but going into a contract year, the Bills have to decide if they want to give him a long-term extension. Once again, he is slated to be the starting middle linebacker for the Bills, playing alongside his running mate Matt Milano. They have become a pretty solid duo over the past couple of seasons.

This past year, Edmunds recorded 70 solo tackles and 1 INT. I would like to see improvement from him in forcing more turnovers. That doesn’t mean getting more interceptions, but he hasn’t forced a fumble since his rookie season. I also believe he needs to be more aggressive at the point of attack, which will increase his tackle rate and help him become more disruptive.

Something that I believe hasn’t been talked about enough that will help Edmunds is the addition of Tim Settle and DaQuan Jones on the interior of the defensive line. The two new big-bodied defensive tackles should serve as a critical reason why the run defense should be way better in 2022. With an improved run defense, there will be fewer times where a running back gets to the second level without being touched. We didn’t see that a ton last year, but we did see it at times. Stopping the run up front will only make things easier for Edmunds and that will help him be able to fly around the field more and use his athleticism. I expect an excellent year where he pushes 100 tackles and a couple of INTs. I expect him to be the game wrecker that we have seen from him at times.

Should the Bills sign him long term?

This is the primary question surrounding Edmunds this year. Going into his fifth NFL season at only 24 years old, he has totaled 293 solo tackles, 170 assists, 5.5 sacks, and 4 INTs, while being selected to one pro bowl. Is that worthy of a long-term extension? My answer is yes.

Edmunds is the 21st-highest paid inside linebacker in the NFL, and if you go up and down that list based on performance and age, he should be close to the top ten, and maybe even inside the top ten. If I was going to sign him long term and we were working out the base salary every year, I think a number that would fit Edmunds and the team is anywhere between 8 million and 10 million. That would put him right at the back end of the top ten in terms of salary for ILB. For reference, Myles Jack is making 8 million, and most people agree that Edmunds has been more productive than Jack. Edmunds will get paid either with the Bills or with another franchise, but his importance to this team should not be understated and I would be satisfied with a long-term extension.

What do you think, Bills Mafia? What would you need to see from Edmunds this year in order to justify a long-term extension?