With Jamal Adams Trade, Seahawks Now Boast One of the NFL's Best Safety Tandems
In case you have been hiding under a rock, the Seahawks traded for All-Pro safety Jamal Adams, plucking him away from the Jets. To facilitate the deal, they packaged two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and reliable veteran Bradley McDougald.
After selling the farm to acquire him, Adams will replace McDougald in the starting lineup alongside Quandre Diggs, giving Seattle one of the premier play making safety tandems in the entire sport.
Diggs is entering his first full season in Seattle after being acquired midseason last year from the Lions. When he was healthy for the Seahawks, the former Texas standout made a clear difference in their secondary, intercepting three passes in just five regular season games. Pairing Diggs with Adams will only enhance his game.
There are several teams who would argue that they possess the best safety tandem in the NFL. Like Seattle with Diggs, the Steelers acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick in the middle of the season and he provided an instant boost for Pittsburgh's secondary, on his way to his first Pro Bowl and First Team-All Pro bids after posting five interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. The former Dolphin is paired with Terrell Edmunds at safety, who has played every game of his two-year career and collected 183 tackles along the way.
The Broncos have a talented pair with Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson, who combined for seven interceptions.The Bills boast Jordan Poyer and former Pro Bowler Micah Hyde, both of whom made strong cases to be Pro Bowlers in 2019 but were not selected. The Vikings tandem of Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris have intimidated passers for years. In Tennessee, Kevin Byard and Kenny Vaccaro are quietly a lethal duo.
All of these teams have a strong case but few can match the accolades and experience of Seattle's dynamic duo. Diggs and Adams have a combined eight years of experience along with Adams' two Pro Bowl nods and freshly minted First-Team All-Pro selection in 2019.
In terms of Approximate Value, a stat formed by Pro Football Reference, Seattle truly has one of the best safety duos in the NFL. In the last two seasons, Diggs and Adams combine for a total of 32 Approximate Value (AV). Only Pittsburgh's Fitzpatrick and Edmunds have totaled more AV since 2018 than the Seahawks' safeties.
With McDougald in the mix instead of Adams, Seattle's combined safety AV would be at 16 since 2018.
Clearly, Adams is an upgrade at safety and paired with Diggs, Seattle should feel comfortable with that position group both in the short and long-term. For a defense that was porous at times,
