Jamal Adams embraces position switch with Raiders, shines in debut
If Jamal Adams had any question what position he’d be playing when he signed with the Raiders last month, Pete Carroll had the quick answer.
“He straight up told me, ‘You’re going to be in the linebacker room, so get over it,’ ” Adams recalls Carroll telling him.
It wasn’t long ago that such a suggestion would have been fighting words to Adams. He’s played safety for so long that it became a part of his identity. From LSU, where he was a three-year starter and a first-team All-American, to the NFL, where he was the sixth overall pick in 2017, a three-time Pro Bowler and one of the most physical defensive backs in the league, Adams dominated games from the safety position.
Any thought of moving to another spot would have been flatly rejected.
But that was before he suffered a gruesome left quadriceps injury in 2022 in which the muscle tore off his kneecap. Adams was with the Seattle Seahawks at the time, and Carroll was his coach. In retrospect, Adams should have used every second of the next two years to get his leg right. But the competitor in him nixed that. Remarkably, he was back on the field the next season.
He soon discovered it’s one thing to be on the field, but entirely different to play to the standard he had always demanded of himself.
“I just couldn’t be myself,” Adams said. “I couldn’t really practice the way I wanted to.”
Between 2023 and 2024 he played on three teams and was limited to just 14 games. The name on the back still read ‘Adams,’ but the player was not nearly the same. The ordeal was mentally and physically draining. And ultimately, a humbling experience.
So when Carroll informed him he’d be switching from safety to linebacker in Las Vegas, Adams was all in.
“I was just like, ‘All right, (expletive), let’s do it,’ ” Adams said.
Seamless transition so far
Almost from the moment the 29-year-old Adams arrived in Las Vegas, he has felt like a natural at linebacker. The closer proximity to the line of scrimmage suits his pass-rush and run-defending skills perfectly.
It also mitigates his exposure in pass coverage, which was never his strong suit even when completely healthy.
Yes, he will have to defend the pass from time to time, but the coverage matchups will mostly be against tight ends and running backs rather than wide receivers.
Primarily, he will defend the run and rush the passer. In both roles, the necessary speed, instincts and ruggedness have been on constant display in camp. Adams was arguably the Raiders’ best defensive player in their preseason opener when he recorded a team-high three solo tackles.
Not bad for his first actual snaps at linebacker.
“Obviously, you’re closer in the box. And you’re understanding keys, you’re shooting gaps, you’re reading the running backs. So it’s very similar in a lot of ways,” Adams said. “But it’s just a different lens. I’m closer to the guards and the tackles. They can get their hands on me. I got to obviously have great eyes to know what I’m looking at, having the right keys.”
Carroll is noticing.
“I thought he looked good and ran well,” Carroll said.
Happy for former player
It’s impossible to escape the personal stake Carroll has in Adams. It was Carroll who sent two firsts and a third-round pick to the New York Jets to acquire Adams in 2020, then rewarded him with a four-year, $70 million contract the next offseason. Adams’ thank-you was a 9½-sack, 83-tackle season in 2020, and 87 tackles in 2021.
It all came to a screeching halt in the 2022 season opener when he went down with the quadriceps injury.
Carroll was understandably ecstatic with Adams’ first game with the Raiders.
“I was really, really happy for him,” Carroll said. “This is kind of my pulling for him to get back; it’s been a long haul with a difficult injury. And shoot, I thought he played well.”
It doesn’t erase the misery and disappointment Adams experienced over the last two years. But it does make him appreciate his new lease on life in Las Vegas.
“It was a lot of dark days, but I fought through,” Adams said. “I knew eventually I would get back out there, but it was going to take time, and it definitely did. So just to be where I’m at now, mentally and physically, I’m definitely back to who I am.”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
