A 'Chip on His Shoulder' Doesn't Slow D-Lineman

Mario Edwards Jr. makes a strong first impression in his first week and first game as a member of the defense after a brief stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Timothy T. Ludwig/USA Today Sports

NASHVILLE – Mario Edwards Jr. was not in Jacksonville for long.

Whatever happened in those three-plus weeks, though, was good for the Tennessee Titans. That is the only conclusion defensive coordinator Shane Bowen could draw after Edwards, an eighth-year veteran, made his Titans debut last Sunday at Indianapolis.

“I think he came in here hungry,” Bowen said. “I think he had a chip on his shoulder from whatever it was in Jacksonville to come in here.

“He had an opportunity to go out there and play, and I think he made the most of it.”

Playing mostly on the right side of the defensive line, Edwards notched two tackles, three quarterback pressures and one tackle for loss in the 24-17 victory, which made it his most productive game in more than a year. He did all of that on 33 snaps and having spent less than a week with his new team.

A second-round pick by the Raiders in 2015, Edwards was released by Chicago at the end of the preseason and added to Jacksonville’s practice squad on Sept. 4. He did not see any game action as a member of the Jaguars.

The Titans signed him to their active roster from the Jaguars’ practice squad on Sept. 26 and added him to a position group that was among the deepest on the roster but took a hit when Da’Shawn Hand was placed on injured reserve.

He had played the previous two seasons with the Bears preceded by stints with the New Orleans, the New York Giants and Oakland. In all, he came with 86 games played to his credit in which he notched 120 tackles 16.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.

“I just came in and have been trying to work good toward getting the playbook down,” Edwards said this week. “With the Colts, I feel like I did good for my first game of the season. I just want to build on it this week.”

He won’t have to do it alone.

The move to Tennessee reunited Edwards with defensive line Denico Autry, who was a teammate of his for three years in Oakland. There, he said, the two developed a reputation for disrupting the offense during practices. Against the Colts, they showed they could do the same in games as Autry racked up two sacks, five quarterback pressures, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.

“You kind of see them together around the building,” Bowen said. “I think they’ve got a pretty good relationship, a friendship. So, it’s no surprise they go out there on Sunday and they’re able to execute something together because they have that history.”

Whatever happened in Jacksonville is clearly behind Edwards. Based on his first week – and first game – with them, the Titans look forward to seeing a lot more of him over the remainder of this season.

“I like coaching him,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “I know that he is trying to do the things that we're asking him to do and hopefully he can continue to help us.”