Terrell Edmunds doesn't care if his brother Tremaine is a middle linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, the team the Steelers will be trying to beat and replace as the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. That isn't going to stop him from talking to his younger brother every day, just as he does every week.
"It doesn't matter," Edmunds said. "You still got to keep the brotherly love with it."
Edmunds, who has started every game at strong safety and played more defensive snaps than any Steelers player since he was a No. 1 draft choice in 2018, doesn't have to worry about talking to his oldest brother, Trey. He sees him every day in the Steelers locker room.
In what will be a rare and unique circumstance Sunday night at Heinz Field, the three Edmunds brothers will be on the same field when the Steelers (8-5) play host to the Bills (9-4). It will be the first time three brothers will appear in the same NFL game since 1927 when Joe, Bill and Cobb Rooney (no relation to the Steelers' family) all played for the Duluth Eskimos, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
"It's going to be amazing, a dream come true," Edmunds said Wednesday before practice. "It's something we always talked about, not only just talking about being in the NFL but now being able to play against each other. And to have one of them on my team, that's a dream come true."
Terrell, 22, and Tremaine Edmunds, 21, already made history last year when they became the first set of brothers to be selected on the first round of an NFL draft. Tremaine (6 foot 5, 211 pounds) was taken with the 16th overall pick, Terrell at No. 28. Trey, 24, was undrafted and was signed to the Steelers practice squad in September 2018 before eventually being elevated to the active roster.
"It's a blessing," Trey Edmunds said. "We worked our whole life and to actually see it manifested and come to life, come true, this weekend, we're excited."
Unlike Terrell, Trey actually has a chance to be on the field at the same time as Tremaine, who has developed into one of the top players on the Bills' No. 2 ranked defense. He led the team in passes defensed (12) as a rookie and leads them with 97 tackles (56 solo), including nine for losses, this season. He had his first interception of the season on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens _ a play in which he tipped Lamar Jackson's pass and actually caught the ball after it was tipped by a Ravens receiver Willie Snead.
"Just being at this stage, playing in prime time against my brothers, what more could you ask for?" Tremaine Edmunds said. "What more could we ask for as a family? We're just real excited about going out there and displaying our talents to the world. I wish them nothing but good luck. But once game time comes, we're all going to be competitive out there, so we're just going to go to work and do what we've been doing, and put our talents on display."
The Edmunds brothers come from a football family. Their father, Ferrell, was a former Pro Bowl tight end who played seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks. Trey's given name is Ferrell III. Their dad and mom, Felicia, have bought tickets and chartered a bus for all their family and friends to attend the prime-time game.
"I think when you meet their parents, it tells you everything you need to know," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "Just quality people. They're outstanding athletes and football players, all the boys, but they're quality people, and that comes from their parents."
Said Bills coach Sean McDermott: "On our end, you spend time with Tremaine and you understand. You know the apple doesn't fall far from the tree when you see the other siblings and the success that they've had. You meet their dad, their grandmother, their extended family. Like I've said before about Tremaine, the support that he has from his family and the roots that he has, have set himself and his brothers up for success."
This isn't the first time a Steelers player will be facing his brother, even if they're not on the field at the same time. Center Maurkice Pouncey has played against his twin brother, Mike, a Pro Bowl center, on two occasions _ in 2016 when he was the Miami Dolphins and last season when he with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Outside linebacker T.J. Watt has faced his brother, Derek, a fullback with the Chargers, each of the past two seasons. But he has never played against his oldest brother, J.J., a three-time NFL defensive player of the year with the Houston Texans. J.J. Watt was injured when the Steelers played the Houston Texans in 2017, T.J.'s rookie season.
"It's awesome because the whole family is in one spot," Watt said. "You kind of take a moment and think about the journey that it took to get where you are. You kind of have flashbacks of growing up and being really grateful to be where you are and understand the hard work and sacrifice that went into it.
"I know for me, whenever I played Derek, during the national anthem we're kind of always staring at each other and so many things are going through your mind _ how wild the ride has been and how lucky and fortunate we are to be where we are."
This, though, is the first time in more than 90 years three brothers will be on the same field in a game.
"That's going to be crazy," Terrell Edmunds said. "There's not that many people who even make it to the NFL. And to have the opportunity to play against your brother it's just amazing.
"He's making a lot of plays for them. We got to go out there and not let him go too crazy. But being his brother, I want him to do the best he can. But at the end of the day, we've got to get the win."
