New Seahawks S Jamal Adams Will Help Create Backfield Havoc in 2020

Despite surrendering a trio of picks along with strong safety Bradley McDougald, the Seahawks added another superstar to their defense in Adams, who will likely be able to help them create additional havoc in the backfield this season.

After Seattle surprisingly acquired defensive end Jadeveon Clowney from Houston in exchange for two reserves (Jacob Martin and Barkevious Mingo) and a 2020 third-round pick last August, their defense was supposed to take a huge step forward in 2019.

Unfortunately, though not Clowney's fault, the opposite happened and the Seahawks featured one of the worst defensive units throughout the entire league. In particular, the defense struggled mightily to create disruption in the backfield and failed to generate positive pass-rushing and run-stuffing metrics.

Among all 32 teams in the league, Seattle finished tied with the second-fewest sacks (28), the third-fewest quarterback hits (68), the fourth-fewest tackles for loss (52), and the sixth-fewest quarterback pressures (126), according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Based on these disappointing results, general manager John Schneider and his staff knew they needed to address these concerns during the offseason. Starting in free agency, Seattle brought linebacker Bruce Irvin back to the Pacific Northwest on a one-year, $5.5 million deal after he produced 16 quarterback hits and 8.5 sacks in 2019. In addition, they also signed defensive end Benson Mayowa to a one-year, $3.05 million contract after he produced a career-high in sacks (7.0) with Oakland this past season.

Then in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seahawks selected defensive ends Darrell Taylor and Alton Robinson to add depth on the edge to the team’s defensive line with two athletic LEO prospects.

Despite these offseason moves, most experts believe the Seahawks still don't possess enough talent on their defensive line to move the needle forward in 2020. While those concerns still haven’t been addressed, the acquisition of All-Pro safety Jamal Adams should automatically help improve the team's ability to rush the passer and stuff the run.

Over his first three seasons with the Jets, Adams started in 46 regular season games, producing 48 quarterback pressures, 30 quarterback hits (first among all safeties in the league), 28 tackles for loss (first), 12.0 sacks (first), and a 23.0 percent pressure rate per Sports-Info-Solutions.com.

Improving his craft each season, the 24-year old took a massive step forward with his development in 2019 and created the majority of these results during his third season in the league, which earned him a second straight Pro Bowl nomination and his first First-Team All-Pro selection.

Over 14 regular season games, Adams generated the most quarterback pressures (23), quarterback hits (16), and sacks (6.5) along with finishing tied for the second-most tackles for loss (eight) among all safeties in the league. Additionally, the 6-foot-1 defender also recorded the third-highest pressure rate (29.5 percent) among all safeties who received at least 40 pass rushing attempts.

Adding to his impressive resume, the former first-round selection has shown that he’s capable of having success while positioned at or near the line of scrimmage. Of his 3,181 career defensive snaps, the LSU standout has played 318 snaps at the edge position during his career.

Jamal Adams career snaps at each position:

Edge - 318
LB - 1,099
SS - 328
FS - 868

A playmaker all over the field. pic.twitter.com/McmP9ftcAA

— PFF (@PFF) July 25, 2020

While surrendering two first-round picks (2021 and 2022), a 2021 third-rounder, and strong safety Bradley McDougald was a steep price to pay, Adams is a proven superstar who will not only improve Seattle's secondary, but the defense as a whole.

Now paired with teammate Quandre Diggs, there’s a very good chance the Seahawks will feature one of the best safety tandems in the league this season and potentially one of the league’s most elite secondaries as well, especially if cornerback Quinton Dunbar is permitted to play.

With the Seahawks looking to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015, adding Adams to their defense has likely positioned them one step closer to achieving that feat. If he stays healthy and performs up to his lofty expectations, then the Texas native should be in line to become the highest-paid safety in the league and be a staple of Seattle's defense for the foreseeable future.