The 49ers signed Braylon Edwards to a 1-year contract on Thursday. Contract terms are now being reported at as little as $1 million with incentives. Were his other suitors even offering the veteran minimum? Of course, those other offers may have vanished in a flurry of knives and forks. Based on the money invested, the Jets obviously considered Plaxico Burress an upgrade. Such a line of thought is either delusional or an ill harbinger for the prospects of the passing game in San Francisco. Or both.
Over the past 3 years Edwards has shown a very different face to the world in each season. A few days ago, PFF pointed out the travails of Roy Williams during the 2008 season. By virtue of playing on two teams, Williams managed to rank 106 and 107 out of 111 receivers who played at least 25% of their team’s snaps. You might expect that adding those two partial seasons together would move Williams to last, but it doesn’t. The receiver in last place caught 55 passes on 128 targets and dropped a whopping 19 balls. He finished with a yet-to-be-broken -19.6 according to PFF charters. That man is Braylon Edwards.
Edwards leapt to 47th in the 2009 rankings – a strong indictment of the Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn circus in Cleveland – but plummeted back to 81st last year due to an inability to perform any of the peripheral responsibilities of a good NFL receiver. He no longer drops a pass a game, but his 3-year catch percentage is still well below 50%. While Edwards is known for getting open down the field, his career yards per catch of 15.8 obscures a more important truth. Since 2008 Edwards has averaged a mundane 7.7 yards per target.
Fantasy spin:
Several teams showed interest in Edwards before his latest bar room imbroglio. He would have had more fantasy potential with any of them. Considering his recent DUI conviction also constituted a parole violation, an NFL suspension already loomed. As the investigation of Braylon’s role in the recent stabbings unfolds, don’t be surprised if it turns into the multi-game variety. The 49ers figure to use such an unreliable player as a decoy while they force the ball to Vernon Davis and Frank Gore. The underwhelming Josh Morgan may even have more fantasy upside. Unless Edwards and Smith develop an uncanny connection early in the preseason, 50 catches for 750 yards and 4 TDs looks like the ceiling.
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