Top-20 Rams of 2022: David Edwards in line for a huge, well-deserved raise

The positional rankings for contracts at OvertheCap.com are sorted by average annual salary. When you go to the page for Left Guards, if you want to find Super Bowl champion David Edwards then you need to scroll. And scroll. And scroll.

Until finally, you are three from the bottom. That is where you will find Super Bowl champion left guard David Edwards on the list of left guard contracts. Only a few dollars more than Drew Forbes of the Browns and Nick Allegretti of the Chiefs.

Edwards is entering the final year of a fifth round rookie contract that pays him $2,784,520 over four seasons, an average of $696,130 per year. He will, however, actually make much more than that because Edwards will earn a base salary of $2,790,000 in 2022 alone thanks to getting a bump by outplaying his status as a fifth round pick.

But even still, $2.8 million is a far cry from the industry-leading $16 million average annual salary of Joel Bitonio and Joe Thuney, and a lot less than what Edwards will make in signing bonus alone when he signs his next contract.

Will the Los Angeles Rams be able to afford that contract?

#14 - LG David Edwards

A high school quarterback, defensive end, longsnapper, and basketball player, Edwards was listed as the nation’s #21 tight end when he chose the University of Wisconsin in 2015. After changing up his diet as a freshman, Edwards bulked up to 275 and soon became one of the top right tackles in the country, joining a long line of an offensive linemen legacy at Wisconsin.

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

A fifth round pick in 2019, Edwards was thrust into a starting role almost immediately due to Joseph Noteboom tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 6 of that season. In his first start, PFF credited him with having the best game of any Rams guard of the season up to that point.

In year two, again Edwards did not earn a starting job out of training camp, but again he replaced Noteboom early in the year due to injury. Edwards took over the starting role in Week 3 and hasn’t looked back.

After drawing five holding penalties as a rookie, Edwards has cut that down considerably, getting flagged for holding only once in 2020. Then two last season, both against the Cardinals in the wild card round, the 18th game of the year.

Edwards has consistently been a steady presence for Sean McVay at left guard and the idea of opening up a competition in his place next year has to be a bit of a frightening one given the play of some others (before Edwards took over for Noteboom, it was assumed that Jamil Demby was in line to be the next starter) and the importance of keeping Matthew Stafford upright.

However, what will David Edwards be paid and what can the Rams afford?

Connor Williams, a second round pick of the Cowboys in 2018, just signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Miami Dolphins. They are of similar age with a similar number of starts at left guard. That is, unless, a team sees Edwards as a true franchise left guard after his 2022 season, in which case he’s in line for at least a $10 million average annual salary like Bitonio, Thuney, Laken Tomlinson, Andrus Peat, and Cody Whitehair.

Is Edwards in that stratosphere yet? He’s good enough to be #14 on my list of the 20 most-important Rams for the 2022 season.

Previously:

First one out - CB Robert Rochell

#20 - QB John Wolford

#19 - CB Troy Hill

#18 - C Brian Allen

#17 - ILB Ernest Jones

#16 - WR Van Jefferson

#15 - S Jordan Fuller

Next:

#13 - RB Cam Akers