After great offseason, Steelers front office feeling unfortunate effects of one massive mistake

That has left a ton of first-team reps for Kenny Robinson, Tre Norwood and Elijah Riley. The three only have started a combined 14 games during their times in the NFL, and the defense is currently practicing without a ton of experience on the back end. While most of the absences from the three safeties in Fitzpatrick, Kazee and Neal seem to be temporary, the Steelers are in desperate need of a veteran presence right now. Khan has to be regretting a decision to not re-sign a reliable defender.

Steelers Not Re-Signing Terrell Edmunds Was A Huge Mistake

Terrell Edmunds traveled across the state of Pennsylvania to play on a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. He accepted a rather inexpensive contract at $2 million. Pittsburgh's cap situation was very well managed and this would have been an incredibly easy number to match, or even beat. Instead, the Steelers let Edmunds walk, and the early stages of training camp are reminding the team and fans that injuries can greatly impact a season.

Robinson has impressed, but no one is sure how sustainable that really is. Edmunds started 75 games for Pittsburgh over the course of five seasons and having a combination of him, Fitzpatrick, Kazee and Neal in 2023 would have given the defense an unusual amount of depth. As it stands right now, however, Edmunds would be the only one on the field.

Edmunds is healthy and seems to be enjoying his time in Philadelphia so far while providing a wealth of knowledge in the secondary. He is one of the team's best leaders on the field.

"I try to be a leader on the defense," Edmunds told Owen Boyle of the Eagles official website. "Regardless of who is on the field, I try to go out there and play my position and help my brothers out."

The Steelers have gotten a harsh reminder that injuries are extremely relevant from the moment training camp starts. Fitzpatrick should be fine without a plethora of practice reps, but if Kazee and Neal deal with ailments to begin the season, Khan and Co. are going to be thinking about that small investment that should have been made to bring Edmunds back.

The hope is that the Steelers can head into the 2023 campaign completely healthy with their safety group and that everything is okay with Fitzpatrick's personal situation. Robinson, Riley and Norwood are stepping up with the absences, but that's not exactly a trio the team can trust to throw out there in Week 1. It would have been great to have Edmunds out there as he would be providing familiarity with the playbook and a veteran presence. Right now, not bringing him back can, arguably, be looked at as one of the biggest mistakes of the 2023 offseason.