4 Buccaneers that need more playing time in the playoffs
By Rob Leeds
Mike Edwards
Mike Edwards has been one of the biggest points of confusion for the Buccaneers this season. Edwards was supposed to be a great number three option at safety this year behind Jordan Whitehead and Antoine Winfield Jr., but no one expected there to be a controversy.
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Edwards looked like a real starter. After a decent first season, Edwards had taken the next step as was expected of a player of his caliber, and the Buccaneers now have more depth at safety.
With Winfield and Whitehead as the obvious starters, Edwards was relegated to the third role, but he did exceptionally well with the reps he received.
Edwards was a magnet to the ball despite consistently playing less than a third of the reps in each game. With his limited reps and an impressive number of passes defended and interceptions, most of the NFL world wondered why Tampa Bay couldn’t develop more ways to get Edwards on the field.
Edwards has cooled off in recent weeks due to fewer opportunities, but the Buccaneers need to use every player to their full potential if they hope to do better than merely making the playoffs. The Buccaneers need to keep their defense constructed with the best players on the field possible, and Edwards has undoubtedly earned a few more reps when it counts.