Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Darrion Gray

Jamal Adams is a solid option for New Orleans in free agency

Jamal Adams remains on the market during free agency, and the New Orleans Saints should be interested. Adams’ reputation has been tarnished since leaving the New York Giants, but what many critics don’t realize is that he was a second team All-Pro with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020 prior to being injured the following year. Injuries have interrupted his career, but he can still play at a high level in the right role.

The truth is that Adams specializes in playing close to the line of scrimmage. Using him in deep coverage consistently at this point of his career would be a coaching error. Dennis Allen has always used safeties there dating back to Kenny Vaccaro’s time with the team, then Vonn Bell, and Malcolm Jenkins. There’s a clearly-defined role ready for someone like Adams.

Tyrann Mathieu would continue to be the primarily deep safety in this situation. The Saints liked how Johnathan Abram performed in Marcus Maye’s absence when he went down with injury, but Abram isn’t solidified to start in 2024. Right now it looks like he’ll be competing with second-year safety Jordan Howden. Adams could make a compelling case for that role, too. Abram is also at his best closer to the line of scrimmage, so it’s not as if excelling as a deep coverage player is required for New Orleans.

Adams would deliver a boost to the Saints run defense that has struggled over the last few years. The Saints have also struggled to rush the passer recently. Adams was adept at blitzing and getting sacks early in his career He won’t be a coverage specialist but the tradeoff comes from needed value he could provide close to the line of scrimmage. With too few picks to spend on addressing all of their needs in the 2024 NFL draft, the Saints must consider all options to get better, and that includes players like Adams.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.