Will Jamal Adams Return to Form with Raiders?

The Las Vegas Raiders added a veteran defender in Jamal Adams, who could return to his glory days with the Silver and Black.

New York Jets strong safety Jamal Adams (33) and the defense take on the Oakland Raiders in the second half. The Jets defeat the Raiders 34-3 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019, on East Rutherford. Nyj Vs Oak | Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com, NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC

On Tuesday, the Las Vegas Raiders signed veteran defender Jamal Adams just before training camp. 

Adams spent four seasons of his career with the Seattle Seahawks under now Raiders head coach Pete Carroll, playing some of the best football of his time in the NFL. 

In Seattle, Adams totaled 221 tackles, 22 for loss, 19 quarterback hits, 11 passes defended, a forced fumble, two interceptions, and nine and a half sacks. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020. 

However, the Seahawks released Adams when Mike MacDonald took over as head coach. He spent last season with the Tennessee Titans and, briefly, the Detroit Lions. 

Adams is not the player he once was, but he is still only 29 years old, so he could still have some good football left in him. The Raiders will not ask him to be the All-Pro he once was, but the late-July signing will have been worth it if that happens. 

Will Adams return to his glory days reuniting with Carroll, or will he be nothing more than a training camp body and depth safety? 

Adams has a unique skill set. He has always played safety, but he can drop down closer to the line of scrimmage and play the run as a linebacker. 

While that is valuable, the Raiders will ask Jeremy Chinn to do that, so it would be redundant to have him and Adams on the field at the same time. 

Isaiah Pola-Mao is a better coverage safety at this point in his career compared to Adams, so the Raiders would give up more plays through the air with him off the field. 

The Raiders will not – and should not – ask Adams to carry the secondary, as he is not that kind of player anymore. However, if they need him to contribute in some sort of depth capacity, Adams can be a perfectly serviceable third safety. 

Las Vegas has a few flaws on the defensive side of the ball, but safety is not one of them. Chinn and Pola-Mao make up one of the most underrated safety duos in the NFL, and they don’t necessarily need Adams to usurp one of those spots. 

It is fun to imagine Adams returning to his former self in Las Vegas, but the reality of the situation is, he isn’t that player anymore. 

There is a world where he is quality depth, though.

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