Titans Week 5 Enemy Profile: Tremaine Edmunds

The Bills have easily been one of the worst teams in the NFL through four weeks, but as the Vikings have shown, that does not mean you should look forward to the following game. That’s something the Titans need to keep in mind in this week’s matchup at Buffalo.

Furthermore, the Bills are not completely devoid of quality players on the field. One of the team’s bright spots is first round rookie linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, drafted out of Virginia Tech at the age of 19. Go figure.

Edmunds is extremely raw but has constantly flashed quality and has seemingly been everywhere on the field. He has 30 tackles through four weeks (also an overrated stat), a sack, a forced fumble, and four pass disruptions. He looks like a star in the making, and someone the Titans need to be careful going up against.

For more on that, let’s dive into Tremaine Edmunds’ tape.

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For his age (20), Edmunds’ pass coverage is extremely impressive. As shown against Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, a fellow rookie, he has the ability to undercut a route and catch up to the receiver. He lets Andrews break to the middle of the field, and as he does he shows quick hip movement, allowing him to catch up to the receiver and knock this Lamar Jackson pass away.

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Edmunds’ disruptions have caused a couple of interceptions to boot. Here, in zone coverage, he does an excellent job sprinting to Latavius Murray, popping the ball out of Murray’s hands and into Matt Milano’s. It’s hard to believe a 20-year old rookie is doing this stuff already.

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Edmunds’ discipline in pass coverage stands out as well, as he always seem to be in the right spot at the right time. Here, as Aaron Rodgers is set to pass off play action, Edmunds plants his feet and extends his hands to deflect this pass—intended for Jimmy Graham—and eventually it lands into the hands of Jordan Poyer for the interception. Needless to say, the timing was dead on.

Tremaine Edmunds isn’t perfect, but he’s 20 years old, so that’s to be expected. While there’s obviously room for growth at his age, there’s little doubt that he’s a very talented linebacker with a high ceiling, and I think the Bills got a good one from this year’s draft class.

Other players like defensive end Jerry Hughes, safety Micah Hyde, and corner Tre’Davious White stand out for the Bills defense, but it’s Tremaine Edmunds who looks like the biggest name on that side of the ball. As long as the Titans don’t do what the Vikings did in their loss to Buffalo and underestimate the opponent, they’ll be able to win underneath against the rookie.

Still, Tremaine Edmunds is not someone you’d want to scoff over.