4. T.J. Edwards raw statistical performance
Coming from being a UDFA, T.J. Edwards had to prove himself every step of the way. He did that early on, and played 122 snaps as a rookie. Those snaps were four starts that came sporadically due to injuries around him.
Edwards got onto the field more in his second season, but missed a few games and was not a full-time player. He went on to play 492 snaps. In 2021, he became more of a full-time starter and played 719 snaps, then he called plays and led the defense, as well as being top amongst all linebackers in snaps at 1,183.
He has 2,516 career snaps, with 44% of them being run defense, 53% in coverage, and then the final 3% as a pass rusher. As his playing time increased, so did his stats.
He went from 30 tackles to 70 and then had 130 and 159 the past two seasons. That came on 10 tackles for loss. He entered 2022 with 10 tackles for loss in three full seasons. You can see why the team had an interest.
He has worked for this, and proved himself. His best play was last season and he still getting better.