Arrowhead Pride
On the way to the team’s second straight Super Bowl victory in 2023, Kansas City Chiefs’ safety Mike Edwards made two of that season’s most memorable plays.
Against the Miami Dolphins in the Week 9 game at Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park, he recovered Tyreek Hill’s fumble and lateraled the ball to fellow safety Bryan Cook, who sprinted 59 yards for a touchdown to give the Chiefs a 21-0 lead.
Then in the regular season’s final game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Edwards scooped up quarterback Easton Stick’s fumble at the Kansas City 3-yard line and took it to the house. That 97-yard fumble return was the second-longest in franchise history.
“[It’s] just being in the right place at the right time, hitting on my keys and trying to make plays [by] being around the ball as much as possible,” Edwards told reporters after Tuesday’s training camp practice at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, when he had intercepted a pass thrown by quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “[It’s] how I made a living being in the league — just being around the ball — so that’s what I plan on doing this year.”
Still, in the following offseason, the Chiefs allowed Edwards to move on. He spent 2024 with two different clubs before Kansas City re-signed him for 2025, hoping to fill the leadership void created by safety Justin Reid’s signing with the New Orleans Saints.
“[We] definitely miss him,” Edwards said of his former teammate, “but I’m trying to take on that role now, wherever they may be [needing someone] to take on a leadership role. I feel like everybody can be a leader in that room — but being an older guy, [I] try to take on that role [to] help out the young guys as much as possible.”
Those youthful Chiefs include second-year pro Jaden Hicks, who is expected to take on a larger role in 2025.
“I didn’t play with Jaden last year, but just [to] come in the room [and] see him in person? He’s going to be a hell of a player,” noted Edwards. “Young guys like the rookies — like Glendon Miller — will be playing pretty well, so I’m kind of the old buck in the room now. But I feel like everybody’s coming along pretty well [with the] communication and everything. It’s going to be a great safety group.”
In any case, he’s happy to be back.
“I mean, look at the organization,” he marveled. “Anybody would be excited to play for this organization. So any time I get a chance to play here, I love it.”
And just like the young players he’s mentoring, he’s looking forward to getting into some real football when the Chiefs open their preseason with a road game against the Arizona Cardinals this Saturday night.
“Oh, yeah, it’s always good to play against other guys,” said Edwards. “We don’t have joint practices here, so [I] definitely feel like everybody’s itching to play against another team –...
