Northwestern-to-Illinois transfer nose tackle who broke out as a senior and signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent.
TeRah Edwards took the long road to the NFL, starting his career buried on Northwestern's depth chart before transferring to Illinois and developing into a rotational, then starting, nose tackle. He signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 draft.
Path to the league
A three-star recruit out of Groveport, Ohio, Edwards played sparingly in his first two seasons at Northwestern before transferring to Illinois in 2022. He worked as a rotational nose tackle behind established veterans before earning a starting role in 2024. In his final season, he recorded 38 tackles and 2.5 sacks and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention recognition. He went undrafted in 2025 and signed with the Chargers.
Career highlights
Edwards' breakout senior season at Illinois, capped by All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors, was the product of steady development after transferring from Northwestern. He played in every game across his final three collegiate seasons.
2025 season recap
As an NFL rookie, Edwards signed a one-year deal with the Chargers and worked to earn a spot in the team's defensive tackle rotation. Detailed regular-season snap and stat totals were not available, consistent with a first-year player competing for a roster and practice-squad role.
Sources
- ESPN: TeRah Edwards
- The Daily Illini: TeRah Edwards signs with LA Chargers as undrafted free agent
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Illinois
- Hometown
- Groveport, OH, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
