Jamal Adams’ training camp injury had a very here-we-go-again feel after the safety struggled to stay healthy for a full season during his first two campaigns in Seattle.
Adams said Thursday he’ll be ready and raring for Monday night’s season opener against the Denver Broncos.
“I’m ready to go, man,” Adams said, via The Seattle Times. “I’m excited.”
In late July, Adams broke a finger after it got stuck in a helmet during practice. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported at the time that Adams would wear a special cast for games and decide if it needed surgery after the season.
One of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL, Adams has been relegated to 12 games in each of his first two seasons with Seattle due to injury.
After generating 9.5 sacks in 2020, Adams struggled last season. He earned zero sacks and was often picked on in coverage before his campaign ended with shoulder surgery following Week 13.
With the Seahawks firing defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and importing Clint Hurtt to run things, Adams believes he’ll be used more creatively in 2022.
“I’m back in my element, man,” Adams said of the switch on defense. “I feel like I’m back playing defense you know what I mean?”
Asked to expound, Adams simply replied: “By putting me in position to make plays.”
With Adams sitting out the preseason, Monday night’s tilt against former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and the Broncos will be our first chance to see how Hurtt plans to deploy Adams.
“From the very beginning, I talked about being aggressive,” Hurtt said when asked about how the Seahawks might use Adams. “And I think anytime in coaching, I’m not just speaking specifically to us, but your No. 1 responsibility is to put your best players in position to be successful and we have some guys on defense along with Jamal, that we want to do that with and put them in position to be successful. And so that’s been the biggest thing that we tried to make sure we get done.“
Adams is at his best near the line of scrimmage, playing a disruptor role. It’s what prompted the Seahawks to trade multiple first-rounders for the safety. We’ll see if Hurtt returns him to that role Monday night against Denver.