Trent Edwards

Trent Edwards

Edwards with the Eagles in November 2012
No. 5, 11
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1983-10-30) October 30, 1983 (age 40) Los Gatos, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:	Los Gatos
College:	Stanford (2002–2006)
NFL draft:	2007  / Round: 3 / Pick: 92
Career history
Buffalo Bills (2007–2010) Jacksonville Jaguars (2010) Oakland Raiders (2011)* Philadelphia Eagles (2012) Chicago Bears (2013)* Oakland Raiders (2014)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2007)
Career NFL statistics
TD–INT: 26–30 Passing yards: 6,033 Passer rating: 75.5
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Trent Addison Edwards (born October 30, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft. As a rookie, Edwards took over the starting position after an injury to incumbent starter J. P. Losman, leading Buffalo to a 5–1 start in 2008 before injuries and declining play resulted in his own demotion and eventual release from the team in 2010.

He was also a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, and Chicago Bears.

Early years

Edwards was a highly rated recruit from Los Gatos High School and was ranked as the number 1 pro-style quarterback by USA Today in 2001. ^[1] Rivals.com rated Edwards as the number 2 pro-style quarterback and number 20 player overall in its rankings. ^[2] He was recruited by Michigan, Florida, Notre Dame and Tennessee, but ultimately chose Stanford. In his junior and senior seasons at Los Gatos, he led the team to two undefeated seasons and back-to-back Central Coast Section Division III championships with a combined record of 26-0. In his senior year, he completed 154 of 213 passes for 2,535 yards, 29 touchdowns, three interceptions, and was named as a National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete for Santa Clara County.

As a teenager, Edwards participated in the Armenian-American Summer Games in Northern California. Edwards's grandfather, Ben Morjig, was a co-founder of the games. ^[3]

College career

At Stanford, Edwards redshirted his freshman year in 2002 and began 2003 behind starter Chris Lewis. After an impressive showing as a backup, Edwards got the start for four games, but was then sidelined with a shoulder injury for the rest of the season. In 2004, Edwards was the starter, but again suffered injuries that knocked him out of two games and kept him out of two others entirely. Edwards' best year was 2005, where he started all 11 games, completed 168 of 268 passes for 1934 yards and 17 touchdowns, leading the Cardinal to a 5–6 record. ^[4]

In 2006, Edwards was the starter for the first seven games, but suffered a season-ending broken foot against Arizona and relinquished the starting role to T. C. Ostrander. Despite Stanford's poor performance during his tenure as starting quarterback (the Cardinal was just 10–20 in games he started), Edwards was a highly touted quarterback prospect in the 2007 NFL draft due to his arm strength, accuracy, and intelligence. The summer before 2006, Edwards worked as a Synopsys intern. He decided to pass up a career in the electronic design automation industry for the NFL. ^[5] Prior to the draft, Mel Kiper Jr. projected Edwards as the third-best quarterback in the draft, behind JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn. ^[6]

Statistics

Year	Team	Passing								Rushing
		Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
2003	Stanford	77	170	45.3	750	4.4	4	9	79.5	25	−23	−0.9	1
2004	Stanford	148	271	54.6	1,718	6.3	9	11	110.7	58	32	0.6	1
2005	Stanford	168	268	62.7	1,934	7.2	17	7	139.0	84	153	1.8	0
2006	Stanford	94	156	60.3	1,027	6.6	6	6	120.6	59	37	0.6	0
Career		487	865	56.3	5,429	6.3	36	33	115.1	226	199	0.9	2

Source: ^[7]

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Trent Edwards passes the ball in a 2007 game against the New York Jets.

Edwards was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round (92nd overall) of the 2007 NFL draft. ^[8] Edwards was a part of the Willis McGahee trade that sent McGahee to the Baltimore Ravens for the Ravens' third-round pick in March 2007. After the draft, Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh contacted Bills general manager Marv Levy to express his confidence in Edwards' abilities. ^[9]

2007

Edwards made his NFL debut on September 23, 2007, in the Bills' third regular season game against the New England Patriots, after the Bills' starter J. P. Losman was injured in the first quarter. In his first game, Edwards completed 10 of 20 passes for 97 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

In his first NFL start on September 30, 2007, against the New York Jets, he made 22 of 28 passes for 234 yards with a touchdown and an interception, leading the Bills to their first win of the season. His first NFL touchdown was a one-yard play-action pass on fourth and goal to Michael Gaines. In his second start, against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football , Edwards completed 23 of 31 pass attempts for 176 yards and an interception as Buffalo narrowly lost 25–24. ^[10]

During the game against the New York Jets in week 8, Edwards sprained his right wrist, and was held out of the next game, allowing Losman to reclaim the starting job. In week 13, following a string of poor performances by Losman, Bills coach Dick Jauron named Edwards the starter against the Washington Redskins. ^[11] Edwards led the Bills to a victory over the Redskins in which he led his first fourth quarter comeback, completing three passes to set up the game-winning field goal. As a result, he was named the NFL Rookie of the Week. ^[12] The following week against the winless Miami Dolphins, he passed for 165 yards and a career-high four touchdown passes to lead the Bills to a 38-17 win. Despite losing the last three games of the season, Edwards was named to the all-rookie team after the season was completed.

2008

With Edwards at the helm, the Bills started the 2008 season with a four-game winning streak, including decisive victories over Seattle in week 1 (34-10) and St. Louis in week 4 (31-14). Edwards shined early, leading comebacks in consecutive games against Jacksonville and Oakland in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively.

Entering Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo looked to complete its first 5-0 start to a season since 1991. However, on the third play of the game Edwards suffered a concussion as a result of a hard hit by Adrian Wilson and did not return. The Bills eventually lost 41-17 to the eventual NFC champion.

After the team's bye week, Edwards returned for Week 7 against the San Diego Chargers and seemed to not miss a beat, completing 25 of 30 passes in a 23–14 win. He was selected as the FedEx Air Player of the Week for his performance. ^[13]

Edwards began to struggle after this, however, and the Bills lost four consecutive games. In Week 13, against the San Francisco 49ers, Edwards suffered a groin injury and did not return for the rest of the game. He was sidelined the following two games as a result of the injury. He returned for the final two games of the season. After a 5–1 start, the Bills lost eight of its remaining 10 games and missed the playoffs for the 9th straight season. Many onlookers have opined that Edwards' play declined as a result of the concussion from Wilson. ^[13]

2009

Edwards' 2009 season was further plagued by inconsistency and injuries. The Bills lost four of their first five games of the season, during which Edwards' play was noted as inconsistent, affected by poor performances by the Bills' offensive line. Within the first 5 games, Edwards was sacked 18 times. Edwards' worst performance during this period was in week 4 against the Dolphins, in which he recorded a season low passer rating of 51.0, threw for a season game-high 3 interceptions, was sacked 6 times, and recorded his only fumble of the season. Fans began calling Edwards "Trent-ative" and "Captain Checkdown" due to his hesitation to throw the ball deep. ^[14]

On October 18, Edwards suffered another concussion early in the second quarter against the Jets as a result of a hit by Jets linebackers Harris and Pace. He did not return for the rest of the game, and missed the following two games. ^[15] He returned after the bye week to start against the Tennessee Titans, but continued to struggle, at one point missing a wide-open Terrell Owens and then throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown. ^[16] He finished the game completing 18 of 28 passes for 185 yards with a touchdown and an interception, as the Bills were routed to a 41–17 loss.

Following the game against the Titans, Edwards was benched for the remaining 7 games in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick. He did not play for the rest of the season except for making a brief appearance during the week 15 game against the New England Patriots when he spelled Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter. Edwards completed 1 of 2 passes for −1 yards before being carted off the field, injuring his right knee as a result of a sack by Patriots defender Tully Banta-Cain. ^[17]

2010

Edwards faced competition from Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm for the Bills' starting quarterback position in 2010. Edwards won the battle and started in all four of the Bills' preseason games. In their first two games of the regular season, Edwards threw for only 241 yards combined and completed only 29 passes between the two games, and the Bills lost both games. On his final play as a Bill, against Green Bay, Edwards ran out of bounds on a fourth down scramble, 7 yards short of the first down marker with 1:10 to go. ^[18] Edwards was benched the following day in favor of Fitzpatrick, ^[19] who would become the Bills' full-time starter for the next three seasons. The Bills waived Edwards on September 27, one day after Fitzpatrick threw for 247 yards in a Week Three game against New England. ^{[20] [14]}

Jacksonville Jaguars

Edwards was claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 28. He was the backup quarterback behind David Garrard, and wore jersey number five.

Edwards made his first appearance for the Jaguars on October 18, 2010, against the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football, when starting quarterback David Garrard left the game after suffering a concussion. ^[21]

Oakland Raiders

After becoming a free agent following the 2010 season, Edwards signed with the Oakland Raiders on July 30, 2011, and was released on September 3, during the final roster cuts.

Philadelphia Eagles

On February 23, 2012, Edwards signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Edwards had a disappointing mini camp, and was viewed as a roster filler. However, he started to warm up in training camp, and found his opportunity in the preseason, after quarterback Mike Kafka broke his non-throwing hand against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Over the preseason, Edwards went 54-of-80 for 489 yards, with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. The team cut Kafka on August 31, meaning Edwards had won the job as third-string quarterback, after the rookie Nick Foles. Edwards was released on April 15, 2013. ^[22]

Chicago Bears

On August 18, 2013, Edwards was signed by the Chicago Bears for one year. ^[23] Edwards had previously worked out with the Bears during the offseason. ^[24] He was released on August 30, 2013. ^[25]

Oakland Raiders (second stint)

Edwards was signed by the Oakland Raiders to a future contract on January 3, 2014. ^[26] The Raiders released Edwards on August 26, 2014. ^[27]

NFL career statistics

Year	Team	Games		Passing								Rushing				Sacked		Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Sck	SckY	Fum	Lost
2007	BUF	10	9	151	269	56.1	1,630	6.1	7	8	70.4	14	49	3.5	0	12	105	4	0
2008	BUF	14	14	245	374	65.5	2,699	7.2	11	10	85.4	36	117	3.3	3	23	143	9	5
2009	BUF	8	7	110	183	60.1	1,169	6.4	6	7	73.8	14	106	7.6	0	9	79	1	0
2010	BUF	2	2	29	52	55.8	241	4.6	1	2	58.3	5	24	4.8	0	7	63	0	0
	JAX	3	1	26	49	53.1	280	5.7	1	3	51.4	9	34	3.8	0	4	32	0	0
2012	PHI	1	0	2	2	100	14	7	0	0	95.8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total		38	33	563	929	60.6	6,033	6.5	26	30	75.5	78	330	4.2	3	69	482	14	5

References

1. Emfinger, Max (July 18, 2001). "A midsummer look: A dandy dozen quarterbacks". USA Today. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
2. "Trent Edwards Profile – Football Recruiting". Rivals100.rivals.com. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
3. "37th Annual Armenian Summer Games". W.A.A.A. 2007. pp. 56–57. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
4. "Player Bio: Trent Edwards" (PDF). Stanford Football Media Guide. 2006. pp. 56–57. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
5. "Trent Edwards Scouting Report". Scott Wright's NFL Draft Countdown. 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
6. "Third QB? Why Not Trent Edwards?". USA Today. April 25, 2007. Retrieved October 9, 2007.
7. "Trent Edwards". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
8. "2007 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
9. "Rookie QB Trent Edwards gets chance to spark Bills offense in 1st start". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
10. "Cowboys overcome Romo's INTs, rally in final seconds to stun Bills". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 9, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
11. "Bills Name Edwards Starter". The Sports Network. November 26, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
12. "Emotional rescue for Bills".
13. Culley, Stephen (September 22, 2016). "Throwback Thursday: Watch former Bills QB Trent Edwards get obliterated by Adrian Wilson". Bills Wire. USA Today Sports. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
14. "Bills release QB Trent Edwards". Associated Press. March 27, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
15. "Status of Bills' Trent Edwards Uncertain After Concussion Against Jets". NESN.com. October 9, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
16. "Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans - 2009 Week 10". NFL.com. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
17. "New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills - 2009 Week 15". NFL.com. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
18. "Watch Buffalo Bills vs. Green Bay Packers [09/19/2010] including a live Drive Chart and real-time highlights". www.nfl.com. September 19, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
19. "Bills shake things up, to start Fitzpatrick at QB". ESPN.com. September 20, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
20. "Buffalo Bills release QB Trent Edwards one week after benching – NFL". Sports Illustrated. September 27, 2010. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
21. "Titans vs. Jaguars – Recap". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
22. Rosenthal, Gregg (April 15, 2013). "Philadelphia Eagles release Trent Edwards". National Football League . Retrieved April 15, 2013.
23. Mayer, Larry (August 18, 2013). "Bears add more depth at quarterback by inking Edwards". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
24. Crabtree, Curtis (June 5, 2013). "Bears to workout Trent Edwards, Jordan Palmer along with JaMarcus Russell". Profootballtalk.com . Retrieved August 18, 2013.
25. Mayer, Larry (August 30, 2013). "Bears cut 17 players, still have five to go". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
26. Crabtree, Curtis (January 3, 2014). "Raiders sign Trent Edwards to future contract". NBCSports.com. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
27. Alper, Josh (August 26, 2014). "Trent Edwards, Juron Criner released by Raiders". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 14, 2023.

External links

• Philadelphia Eagles bio
• Oakland Raiders bio
• Buffalo Bills bio
• Stanford Cardinal football bio
• Trent Edwards at ESPN.com
• Trent Edwards at IMDb
• Trent Edwards profile on YouTube