Former All-Pro safety Jamal Adams has another shot at reviving his once bright career, joining the 11-1 Lions this week as a banged-up Detroit defense brought in several reinforcements.
“I mean, they’ve been kicking everybody’s ass,” Adams said, via the Detroit Free Press. “So I’m fortunate enough to, again, just to be on a team that’s rolling like that. And whatever I can do to help, that’s what I’m here for.”
The Lions sit atop the NFC, ahead of the two-loss Eagles and Vikings. Detroit currently has a +180 net-point total. The next closest team is Buffalo, with a +131. The 11-1 Chiefs sit at +54. Detroit’s +27 net touchdowns are also by far the most in the NFL (Buffalo, +18).
After earning Pro Bowl nods in three of his first four seasons, Adams has struggled to stay on the field and find a position that fits his skill set. After four seasons in Seattle, Adams was released in March. He landed in Tennessee over the summer but lasted three games (only 20 snaps) before the Titans placed him on the reserve/NFI list on Oct. 12. Five days later, the club agreed to grant his release.
Signing to the practice squad, Adams now lands with that Lions club on a path for the postseason.
“I mean, there’s no better opportunity, man,” Adams said, per Sports Illustrated. “Obviously, just being home in Dallas and just continuing to train. When A.G. (defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) called, it was a no-brainer for me.”
If elevated from the practice squad, it will be interesting to see how Aaron Glenn uses Adams. His coverage skills have been a sore spot for years, so while he could back up Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, the Lions would likely use him as a box player. Given their linebacker injuries, with Malcolm Rodriguez‘s knee injury the latest to hit that position group, Glenn could see how 213-pounder looks as a linebacker.
It’s also possible Detroit could use the former New York Jets first-rounder as a blitzer. It’s been years, but early in his career, Adams was excellent at timing blitzes. Lions LBs have struggled to cause havoc this year when asked to blitz.
Dan Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket on Monday that the team would play it by ear as to whether Adams or any of the other recent additions would play Thursday against Green Bay.
“Yeah, there again, we brought in he and Kwon Alexander, Myles Adams and Jonah Williams,” Campbell said. “So we’ve got some guys that we’re gonna get a look at and see, with what we have on this roster, who we can use, how we can use them, what gives us the best chance. There may be a place, there may be a place here for Jamal and today’s gonna tell a lot. This will be our full speed today, we’re gonna get really good movement. So we’ll have a whole better feel by this afternoon, five, six-o’clock tonight.”
