It had been about 18 months since Terrell Edmunds had been at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

The more normal things remain, the more they change?

“Everyone thinks I’m joking and laughing,” Edmunds said of his return to the Pittsburgh Steelers, “(but) I’m still trying to adjust.”

“I got a new locker over here (on the opposite side of the locker room). A new (uniform) number. So I’m definitely feeling my way through it.”

Edmunds now wears No. 38 because No. 34 is worn by fellow defensive tackle Jalen Elliott. He is still the 6-foot-1, 215-pound strong safety the Steelers drafted 30th overall.^th Overall, he was named the most valuable player in 2018 and served in that role for five seasons, but this week marks the third time he’s changed teams since he appeared for the Steelers in their final regular-season game on January 8, 2023.

After splitting last season between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans, Edmunds signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars this spring but did not make the season-opening 53-man active roster. However, Edmunds was signed to the practice squad for the Jaguars’ opening game on Sunday – after which the Steelers signed him from their practice squad to their active roster.

“Last year was a long year,” Edmunds said before practice Wednesday. “First going to another team, then getting traded — I was here for five years — and then going to Jacksonville and getting kicked out, it was a long year.”

“But at the same time, I just had the same mindset and I think I definitely fought and gave it everything I had every day and made good plays. So I just did that all the time.”

Edmunds appeared in 81 games for the Steelers over five seasons, starting 77 (including playoffs). During that time, he was a reliable strong safety in all but three games, a role he played for Jacksonville on Sunday, albeit for just six snaps.

On the Steelers, he joins a strong safeties team that includes special teams captain Miles Killebrew, longtime All Pro (and former Edmunds running mate) Minkah Fitzpatrick and two experienced co-starters, DeShon Elliott and Damontae Kazee.

Edmunds said he hasn’t been told what role he might play on defense here, but he’s prepared for anything as a safety or on special teams.

Edmunds said he and the Steelers have remained “in constant contact” since his departure.

“It’s always been love,” he said. “They’re the ones that made my dream (of playing in the NFL) come true and at the end of the day, I’m definitely grateful for that and I’m going to come out here and give it everything I can. They gave me another chance to get to the ’53 season – so let’s do it.”