Ray

Edwards

It’s his second knee surgery in as many offseasons. Smith didn’t go into much detail, but the fact that the operation flew under the radar and Edwards didn’t miss a game last season suggests it was little more than a cleanup procedure. Coming off a disappointing first year in Atlanta, there’s no reason to believe Edwards won’t be 100 percent for the beginning of training camp.

Edwards had 16.5 sacks in his final 30 games as a Viking, which landed him a five-year contract with the Falcons in July. However, offseason knee surgery combined with the fact that he no longer plays opposite Jared Allen have led to meager production. As a team, the Falcons rank 27th in the league with just 15 sacks.

Edwards admits he never felt 100 percent after undergoing a knee procedure just before last season. He ended up with 3.5 sacks despite playing all 16 games. Back-to-back offseasons with knee surgeries is never a good thing, and the early signs suggest Edwards’ signing will go down as a mistake in Atlanta.

Atlanta signed Edwards to a five-year, $27.5 million deal before the 2011 season after he recorded 16.5 sacks for the Vikings in the 2009-10 seasons. He was replaced in the starting lineup after the Week 7 bye. Edwards recorded just nine tackles and zero sacks in nine games this season after notching just 3.5 sacks in 2011. The Falcons will employ a rotation led by Kroy Biermann. Edwards, 28 on New Year’s Day 2013, should be able to find work on a much lighter contract. The signing was a rare mistake by GM Thomas Dimitroff with Edwards ending up being a colossal bust.

Coach Mike Smith called the players together only to see Edwards ignore his request three separate times, refusing to join in with teammates. Owner Arthur Blank and GM Thomas Dimitroff were in the room at the time, which certainly helped grease the skids for his removal despite forking over $1 million in termination pay.

Edwards was cut by Atlanta in mid-November after refusing to join a post-game team gathering. He had just nine tackles and no sacks as a part-time player in nine games this season. Edwards would be purely a depth signing in San Francisco.

Edwards had a “minor” offseason knee procedure and had no sacks in the first four games. He finally got one in Sunday night’s loss to the Packers. “It’s getting better and better each week, and it’s starting to show in my play,” insisted Edwards. So far at least, the $30 million free agent addition has done little to dispel the notion that Edwards’ production in Minnesota was a product of the Vikings’ other defensive linemen.

It’s Edwards’ second known workout after he was cut loose by the Falcons on November 12. The Seahawks don’t have an obvious need up front, so perhaps they’re just looking to add depth for their playoff run. Edwards tried out for the 49ers earlier this month.

Two years after signing a five-year, $27.5 million contract, Edwards has fallen out of the league. He blames Falcons coach Mike Smith for labeling him a bad apple during a playing-time dispute last season, thus poisoning his stock. “It’s hard to get second chances in the NFL because it’s a product line coming out of college,” he said. Edwards is still just 28 years old, so we wouldn’t rule out an eventual return just yet.

Edwards has only skipped voluntary work to this point. He can essentially get an excused absence from the mandatory minicamp by refusing to sign his tender until just after it ends. The deadline for RFAs to sign their one-year offers is June 15, conveniently enough. It’s unclear if Edwards would go so far as sitting out part of training camp, but we’d bet he won’t.