Shortly after signing linebacker Kwon Alexander, the Lions are adding another former Pro Bowler in the hopes of strengthening their injury-ravaged defense. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Detroit is signing safety Jamal Adams to the practice squad with the intention of elevating him to the active roster in short order.
Adams, 29, was cut by the Titans in October, a move that the player himself requested. He had just signed with Tennessee in July, but he appeared in a grand total of 20 snaps with the team before landing on the reserve/non-football injury list with a hip ailment. His placement on that list coincided with reports of his discontent regarding his playing time, and he was granted his release shortly thereafter.
The Jets made Adams the No. 6 overall pick of the 2017 draft, and the LSU product delivered on his draft pedigree by earning Pro Bowl acclaim in his second and third professional seasons. Understandably, he angled for a lucrative contract extension when he first became eligible after the end of the 2019 campaign, but the lack of an offer and the fact that he had been dangled in trade talks in advance of the 2019 trade deadline irked him, and he formally requested a trade in June 2020. A month later, the Jets obliged and sent Adams to the Seahawks in exchange for a package headlined by two first-round draft picks.
After a productive debut season in Seattle, in which he set a DB record with 9.5 sacks, Adams was rewarded with a four-year, $70MM deal prior to the 2021 season. That was a record-setting mark for safeties at the time, but Adams’ career fell off track shortly after signing the contract. Over the 2021-23 seasons, he appeared in a total of 22 games due to injury, and his salary cap charges made him an obvious release candidate this year. The Seahawks cut ties in March, though the club subsequently expressed interest in a reunion on a less expensive deal.
If Seattle had re-signed Adams, it had hoped to deploy him as a linebacker. That would not have been too different than the in-the-box safety role he generally filled during his time with the ‘Hawks, but player and team could not come to terms on a second accord, and Adams eventually headed to Nashville.
After failing to make an impact with the Titans, Adams will now try to resuscitate his career with the Lions. Although Detroit has posted an 11-1 record in 2024, the club has dealt with a number of key injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu is back on IR for the time being, so Adams could offer safety depth behind the the starting tandem of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.
Interestingly, the Lions’ LB corps has been hit especially hard by injury (hence the Alexander acquisition). Perhaps Detroit will ask Adams to operate more on the second level of the defense — just as Seattle had planned to do — and/or to rotate in as a pass rusher.
Interesting. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him playing LB, considering the Lions might have the best safety duo in the league.
They’ve also sustained a lot of injuries to their pass rushing unit. I can definitely see Adams being used on 3rd downs as a blitzer to help create pressure which is something he’s always been very adapt at.
Yeah, I see it that way, too. The Lions have been decimated at linebacker. Adams hopefully has overcome his reluctance to play at that spot, because he’s not replacing Branch or Joseph on the backend.
Will have to play linebacker basically. Wont help in coverage, unless its slow tight ends.
The hit was very borderline in the Jax-Texans game but Lawrence got jacked up …
What does the Lawrence hit have to do with anything
I just like seeing QBs get jacked up. How about that?
Who’s this ALEXNADER player referenced in paragraph 7?
Did I miss THAT player acquisition?
Evidently. LB from Broncos practice squad. Take a look at the first sentence of the article.
brother missed the first sentence of the article
With Kwon Alexander and Adams now in tow, this will definitely help out this D. I’m assuming the Lions will start playing a bunch more 3 safety sets with Adams acting more of a roaming LB. With Branch, he could also play this role but I’d assume the Lions will not mess with what is working with the safety room. It’s absolutely insane how many injuries our squad has had to deal with yet we still are 11-1! Hutch, Iffy, John Comminsky, Davenport, Anzolone, Rodrigo, E. Mossely,Reeves-Maybin, D Barnes, Wingo, K. Raymond, C. Davis, Rakestraw,J. Pacscal, T. Decker, etc. CRAZY!