No position group has arguably been more affected by injuries than the Los Angeles Chargers’ secondary as they head into the final game before the playoffs. In an effort to adjust to late-season injury setbacks, the Chargers signed veteran safety Terrell Edmunds to their practice squad on Thursday, ahead of Week 18.
To make space for Edmunds, the team released undrafted rookie Emany Johnson, as announced on social media. Edmunds now joins the practice squad as the fourth defensive back, alongside Shaun Wade, Dicaprio Bootle, and Kendall Williamson. Edmunds began 2024 with the Jacksonville Jaguars before being released and rejoining the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he spent his first five years. He played in five games with the Steelers before being released again and has been out of the league since.
In his five appearances during 2024, Edmunds recorded just seven total tackles. He hasn’t played in 10 or more games since 2022, the last year of his initial stint with the Steelers.
A former first-round pick in 2018, Edmunds is the older brother of Chicago Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. The brothers also have a third sibling, Trey Edmunds, a fullback, who played alongside Terrell with the Steelers before retiring from football in 2023. The three brothers all played together at Virginia Tech. Ironically, Edmunds’ debut with the Chargers will be against his former team. Both the Chargers and Steelers have secured playoff spots but will compete for the No. 5 seed in Week 18 due to their identical 10-6 records.
The team that secures the No. 5 seed will face the Houston Texans, who are locked into the No. 4 seed. Among the remaining playoff teams, the 9-7 Texans are a much easier matchup compared to the 11-5 Baltimore Ravens, who, as the No. 3 seed, will host the No. 6 seed.
For the Chargers to secure the No. 5 seed, they must defeat the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18 while hoping for a Steelers loss. Pittsburgh faces a much tougher challenge against the Cincinnati Bengals, one of three teams fighting for the final AFC playoff spot. The Steelers also have a chance to win the division outright if the Ravens lose in Week 18. Baltimore leads the AFC North by one game and can clinch the division with a win over the Cleveland Browns.
Neither team has announced any plans to rest their starting quarterback, so both Justin Herbert and Russell Wilson are expected to play in their respective season finales.