After two years in the desert, Bryan Edwards is happy to be among Southern greenery again.
The Raiders traded Edwards, a third-year receiver, to the Falcons earlier this month. It’s a fresh start in familiar grounds for the Conway, South Carolina, native who said he was caught off-guard by the trade. But it hasn’t taken him long to feel comfortable.
“I feel like this is the perfect system for me to be in,” Edwards said Thursday. “And I really, really like the people I’m around, the environment. I feel like this is going to be a lot of fun. This is going to be a good place.”
In some ways, consider this an extra draft selection for the Falcons. Edwards doesn’t turn 24 until November. He’s been a camp standout and fantasy-football sleeper early in his career – former Raiders coach Jon Gruden once compared him physically with Terrell Owens – but the buzz hasn’t translated to much production. He has 764 receiving yards and four touchdowns over 28 games.
It seems that there’s more to Edwards, a towering 6-foot-3 target who’s the all-time leading receiver in South Carolina Gamecocks history. He fell to the third round in 2020 in part because of injury: Edwards sustained a knee injury that cost him the last two games of his collegiate career. Then a broken foot disrupted his pre-draft training.
Edwards has since played sparingly for Las Vegas, though in that time, he apparently made an impression on some.
New Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota was Edwards’ teammate the past two seasons. Mariota, who was Derek Carr’s backup, developed a friendship with Edwards as both players worked behind the scenes. Falcons receivers coach T.J. Yates noted their rapport already showed up in Edwards’ two days at OTAs.
“They looked like they’ve been doing it for a while,” Yates said.
Mariota’s take: “B’s my guy. I love that guy. We developed a relationship in Las Vegas. He came in as a rookie when I first got there. We were learning the system together. I love his competitiveness. I love his drive. I think he’s a great addition to that (meeting) room.”
Another former teammate’s comments regarding Edwards made waves recently. Darren Waller, the Raiders’ Pro Bowl tight end, gushed about Edwards after the trade.
“I really like Bryan a lot just as a human being and as a football player,” Waller told Heavy.com. “Contested catchability is elite, and I feel like he can only continue to grow as a player as he gets more and more opportunities. You see it in the games where he got opportunities.
“A change of scenery, it can be one of the best things that can ever happen to you. It’s not necessarily about what happens along the journey, it’s more so about your response to what happens. And I feel like he’s somebody that is mentally and physically capable of responding in a big way, and I’m excited to follow his career and see how it unfolds because I think great things are in store for him.”
It already has been an interesting young career for Edwards. After waffling on his commitment to South Carolina because of Steve Spurrier’s retirement, he opted to stick with the Gamecocks. He emerged as a four-year star in Columbia, finishing as South Carolina’s career leader in receptions (234) and receiving yards (3,045). His 22 touchdowns ranked second in school history, one behind long-time pro Alshon Jeffrey.
Edwards’ physicality fits the new Falcons mold. Aside from his height, Edwards likes to block and do the dirty work some players don’t embrace. Falcons coach Arthur Smith said Tennessee, for whom he was the offensive coordinator, was high on Edwards in the 2020 draft.
Yates also kept tabs on Edwards. The coach stressed it’s only been a couple of days, but he’s impressed with how quickly Edwards is picking up the offense (which is similar to one he used in Las Vegas). He agreed with Waller’s assessment that Edwards has more to show.
“When we did our due diligence, we looked at him on film, and we thought this guy could be a really good player,” Yates said. “I remember him a couple years ago coming out of South Carolina. I’ve kept an eye on him. I saw those same quotes that Darren said about Bryan. We’re just hoping he can come in and help elevate our room and help us as a team, be a better offense and help us win some games.”
Edwards said his head was spinning when he learned of the trade. Indeed, it’s not often a player of Edwards’ makeup, with such perceived upside, is dealt on his rookie contract. But the Raiders’ new regime under coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler remade their receiver corps, acquiring multiple veterans. They opted to move off the previous administration’s investment in Edwards. That presented an opportunity for the Falcons, who also are retooling their receiver corps.
Edwards said he found peace once he realized “I was coming back to the right side of the country.” Atlanta is a little more than five hours west of Edwards’ native Conway, a town residing on the western banks of the Waccamaw River (about 30 minutes from Myrtle Beach).
Conway quietly has produced a few notable receivers. Edwards joined former Michigan receiver Junior Hemingway and former Clemson standout (and current Raider) Hunter Renfroe as Conway natives turned productive pass catchers.
“Small town, very united community, we all look out for each other,” Edwards said of his hometown. “I just have a lot of pride in coming from that place. It gave me my values that I still carry with me today. I just have a lot of love for the place.”
He also has a lot of love for the South. The Falcons will hope his newfound comfortability will translate to unlocking whatever the best form of Edwards is on the field.
“It just feels like home,” Edwards said. “Anybody who’s from the South can tell you that there’s no place like home. Sweet tea, community, country life, green trees. Just the small things, man. When you get in this profession, you really learn to appreciate the small things in life and I’m just so happy to be here.”
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