Oakland Raiders: Signs Pointing Upward For Mario Edwards Jr.

The Oakland Raiders and their fans have been in the dark surrounding the neck injury suffered by Mario Edwards Jr. – but there now seem to be signs of hope for his return.

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Oakland Raiders rookie pass rusher Mario Edwards Jr. suffered a neck injury against the Packers in week 15 last season that knocked him out for the balance of the year. It was an injury that was – and remains – mysterious in that we’ve never been given a definitive diagnosis. The closest we’ve come is hearing from GM Reggie McKenzie that it might be a genetic issue. And it was an injury that some feared might even be career threatening. However, there have recently been encouraging signs that Edwards might be inching closer to return to the Raiders.

Many thought that McKenzie vastly overreached when he made Edwards a second round pick in last year’s NFL Draft. The knocks on him were abundant – he was lazy, didn’t put in the work, took plays off, was too heavy. Despite his critics and the skepticism surrounding him though – or perhaps, because of them – Edwards came in, worked hard, and posted a very successful first season with the Raiders.

In his first season as a pro, Edwards appeared in fourteen games and made ten starts – the majority of those after veteran Justin Tuck went down with a season ending injury. In that time, he posted 41 tackles, forced a fumble, had two passes defensed, and chipped in with 2.5 sacks.

Edwards and Khalil Mack formed a ferocious pass rushing duo – over a four game period last season, the pair combined for ten sacks and 25 quarterback hurries. They were fierce and they were dominant in that stretch of time between mid-November to mid-December – just before his injury.

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The fact that he says he’s feeling good and is ready to get back to the team – and have a Pro Bowl caliber season – is good news for the Silver and Black.

At last month’s NFL Combine, McKenzie took a cautious approach and tried to keep expectations low when he said:

"“Whatever happened in that game triggered something. We’re at the mercy of the medical people because it’s a question mark. If it was clear, they would have said, ‘Oh, he’s done,’ or ‘He’ll be ready to go.’ It’s something that is going to take time so they can figure it out.”"

But in a more recent interview, HC Jack Del Rio, while remaining cautious, sounded a little more of an optimistic note.

"“We hope so. We love Mario. Great young man, really had a nice year for us last year. He feels good and that will be determined at some point this offseason, but we remain optimistic.”"

And even more encouraging, is the Tweet sent out by Florida sports anchor Kenny Morales, who spoke with Edwards about his progress.

Though nothing is definitive just yet, things are looking quite a bit more positive than they have in the last couple of months. Edwards is expected to take a physical in early April, prior to the start of the offseason program, to see if he’s healthy enough to participate.

Getting Edwards back would be a big boost to the Raiders’ pass rush. They added Bruce Irvin, which is a tremendous get and will immediately put some teeth into their defense. But they did lose Benson Mayowa, who was a solid rotational piece to the Cowboys. Having Edwards back on the defensive line would only add quite a lot to Oakland’s pass rush, making it that much more fearsome, intimidating, and more importantly — effective.

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While we don’t have anything to hang our hats on and no definitive information, things are looking quite a bit more positive about Edwards’ return. The promise and potential he showed last season as a rookie were impressive. And one couldn’t help but get the impression that we’re just scratching the surface with Edwards. The team – as well as the fans – are undoubtedly clamoring to see what else he can do.