Pete Carroll Outlines Seahawks’ Plans For Julian Love, Jamal Adams & Safeties
Standing out among five free agent signings made on the defensive side of the football this month so far, the Seattle Seahawks surprised many by handing former New York Giants safety Julian Love a two-year contract worth up to $12 million.
After all, prior to agreeing to terms with Love, Seattle already had more than $32 million dollars invested at the safety position for 2023 alone after placing a right of first refusal restricted free agent tender on Ryan Neal to go with massive contracts for veterans Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams. With numerous other needs on the roster, the signing instantly spawned speculation about Adams' future with the team after he missed all but one game last season with a torn quad tendon.
But speaking with reporters at the NFL's annual meetings in Arizona on Tuesday, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll couldn't have been more firm stating that Love's addition isn't a precursor for moving on from Adams or Diggs and that he wasn't signed as a replacement for either. Instead, he plans to see all three players on the field together extensively, letting their unique skill sets complement one another.
"I know there's some conversation about what we did with Julian, does that have some impact on Jamal or Quandre?" Carroll said via John Boyle of Seahawks.com. "It doesn't. We have a clear thought of what we're going to do with our guys and how we want to play them, and we feel very fortunate to have all of our guys."
Since acquiring Adams from the New York Jets for multiple first round picks and a third round pick prior to the 2020 season, the Seahawks have been on a mission to utilize three-safety personnel groupings frequently. After transitioning to a 3-4 defense under new coordinator Clint Hurtt last summer, they planned to play Adams, Diggs, and Neal together with great frequency, sliding the All-Pro safety to a pseudo-linebacker role in nickel and dime packages.
Unfortunately, Adams went down early in a season-opening win over Denver, forcing Seattle to adapt on the fly and scrap previous plans. Neal eventually supplanted Josh Jones as the new starting strong safety and while players such as Johnathan Abram and Teez Tabor saw a handful of snaps as a third safety late in the season, such sub-packages weren't used often.
By bringing Love into the fold and tendering Neal, the Seahawks have granted themselves the flexibility to continue deploying three-safety looks on the regular and added extra insurance in case injuries strike again.
In a follow up, Carroll was asked if he expected to see Love, Adams, and Diggs play around 25 percent of Seattle's defensive snaps next season. Seeing that baseline as far too low, he quickly responded, "Oh no, they'll play together a lot more than that."
Formerly a fourth round pick out of Notre Dame, Love caught Seattle's attention as a free agent target for multiple reasons, including his immense versatility. Since entering the NFL in 2019, per Pro Football Focus, the Swiss army knife has logged over 500 defensive snaps at both safety spots as well as slot cornerback. He also has played more than 200 snaps as an outside cornerback, further exhibiting his rare flexibility lining up all over the formation.
As NFL defenses transition towards employing more "position-less" players to combat fast, pass-oriented spread attacks that continue to permeate throughout the league, talents such as Love who can play both safety spots, nickel cornerback, and climb up into the box carry substantial value. Adding in his leadership and football IQ to the equation, Carroll can't wait to see what he will add to an already talented Seattle secondary.
"The opportunity to get Julian, who's a remarkable player, he had a remarkable season last year - I can't remember a guy who played over a thousand snaps and played over 200 snaps on special as well. That's an unusual mix," Carroll remarked. "That's just one aspect of what Julian brings. He's a really versatile football player, he called their defenses - he had the green dot [on his helmet] - he's a captain. It's a very rare opportunity to get a guy like that, so we jumped at it."
As for Adams, while many jumped to the conclusion Love's arrival could be the beginning of the end for the talented, oft-injured safety, Carroll provided optimistic news on his recovery from his latest significant injury, saying the latest report from less than two weeks ago "sounds really good." The former All-Pro will be reporting to Seattle in a few weeks to continue his rehab at the team facility.
Now several months removed from surgery, Adams has posted several videos in recent weeks on social media participating in activities such as running on the treadmill, doing quick feet drills on stairs, and other workouts.
"It sounds like he's doing great," Carroll said of Adams. "He's pushing it, and he's going to try to bust whatever projections that would keep him from not being ready for the start of the season, he's looking to get that done, and we're counting on it, hoping it."
While the Seahawks hope to have Adams back on the field for the start of training camp, however, Carroll cautioned that Seattle won't rush him back and make sure to protect the player from himself in regards to hurrying back to action. Until he's 100 percent ready, the team won't force the issue getting him back into a helmet and shoulder pads with hopes he can stay healthy this time around.
In the best case scenario, Adams will return to pre-injury form and working alongside Diggs and Love, the safety trifecta will finally fulfill the vision Carroll and his staff have had ever since the blockbuster trade nearly three years ago. Until then, the Seahawks will have to exercise patience with the long game in mind and make sure they have a contingency plan ready as they push to contend for an NFC West title in 2023.
"We'll see what happens. We're going to be really optimistic about it but support him, and we're not going to rush it."
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