If Bucs fans are feeling some nostalgia after the team brought back safety Mike Edwards, it makes total sense. There have been a couple of reunions in the secondary for the Bucs this season. It started with strong safety Jordan Whitehead during free agency and continued with the team claiming Edwards late last week.

The nostalgia part comes with having several members in the secondary that were in that same group when the Bucs won Super Bowl LV in their own stadium during the 2020 season. Those in particular were Edwards, Whitehead, fellow safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and cornerback Jamel Dean. All were at different points of their career but all of them were still on their rookie contracts.

Bucs CB Jamel Dean and S Mike Edwards – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Because they were all close in age, it made for a tight-knit group. That’s why fellow teammates such as Dean was just as excited to hear the news about Edwards’ return.

“I was so excited,” Dean said. “I was like, ‘Oh man, they’re slowly bringing the band back together.’”

From a coaching perspective, that chemistry and familiarity can help Edwards hopefully pick up right where he left off in Tampa.

“First and foremost, just from a communication standpoint, he made a lot of plays in this league for us,” co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote said. “I don’t know the details of why he was a free agent, but we [were] able to get him back and we look forward to him jumping in and helping out the young guys.”

Edwards Looking To Provide A Spark For The Bucs

Mike Edwards also spoke to the media on Monday in his return to the team that drafted him. He hasn’t been gone for long, which he’s also very happy about since he still has a house here, but it’s still been a journey over the last two seasons. Edwards signed with the Chiefs in 2023 and won a Super Bowl, then went to the Bills in 2024. He didn’t get much playing time and was released, then went to the Titans for a week. He shared his overall experience with the media on Monday.

Bucs FS Mike Edwards – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Once I left here, I went to Kansas City for the year, and it was a different experience for sure,” Edwards said. “[It’s] definitely different [from] here and yeah, [we] went on that Super Bowl run and won another ring on a different team and it’s two different types of experiences, but it was a good year for me [as far as] winning that Super Bowl.

“Then [I] end up leaving there, going to Buffalo. It didn’t work out for Buffalo, [there’s] no bad blood but [I] end up leaving there and then going to Tennessee and now I’m back here. [I] had a good journey. It’s crazy, went all over the place, like I said, but I’m back where it all started so I’m happy for that.”

The Bucs brought in Edwards for a reason. He was a playmaker for Tampa Bay with seven career interceptions, including three career pick-sixes. Todd Bowles’ defense is starving for interceptions having not recorded one since Week 6. Overall the defense needs to play better in pass coverage if they want a run at the playoffs.

Edwards understands the assignment.

“Hopefully I can bring a spark or whatever it may need, bring any type of help that I can bring to this team,” Edwards said. “I mean, not just defense, but the whole team and yeah, they had struggles but they also had some great parts of the season. It might be a play away from winning any one of those games. I’ve been keeping up with them from afar, watching some games, stuff like that, so I mean [they’re] still a good team.

“The record might not show, but still a good team, [they] have players all over on both sides of the ball and [we] have to get a good playoff push and take it week by week, but I mean, just from what I’ve seen from afar and coming in and viewing, it’s a good team. [They] have a lot of guys, very good teammates and very good people that I can see in the locker room so happy to be a part of that and hopefully I can help in any way possible.”