RENTON — Jamal Adams has been the silent and unseen man during Seahawks training camp and preseason.
Adams broke one of the fused fingers on his left hand on the first day of camp, and while he returned to practice, he did not play in the preseason (like many other starters) and had not talked to the media.
But all that changes this week with the start of the regular season as Adams — entering the first season of a four-year extension he received a year ago that will pay him $17.5 million per year — will be back in the starting lineup at safety for the first time since Dec. 5 when he suffered a season-ending injury against the 49ers.
Adams also talked briefly to the media at his locker before Thursday’s practice for the first time this year — long enough, at least, to make clear that he’s eager for the season to begin.
“I’m ready to go, man,” Adams said. “I’m excited.”
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One reason Adams may not want to say too much right now is to try to keep how the team may use him this year as under wraps as possible until the Seahawks can spring it on the Denver Broncos and Russell Wilson on Monday night.
After Adams set an NFL record for a defensive back with 9.5 sacks in 2020, he had zero in 2021 as the Seahawks defense finished 28th in the league in yards allowed — developments that played a significant role in the firing of defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.
New defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt has talked of getting Adams more involved, and the team has also talked of using three-safety sets with Adams, Quandre Diggs and Josh Jones. And in those alignments Adams will usually be the one to be closer to the line of scrimmage.
“I’m back in my element, man,” Adams said of the changes to the defense. “I feel like I’m back playing defense you know what I mean?”
Asked what he did mean, Adams said simply “by putting me in position to make plays.”
Said Hurtt Thursday of how the Seahawks may use Adams: “From the very beginning, I talked about being aggressive. And I think anytime in coaching, I’m not just speaking specifically to us, but your number one 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 we’ve that’s been the biggest thing that we tried to make sure we get done. Weel good about it.”
And Adams insists that despite the specially-made cast he will have to wear on his left hand to protect his middle finger, when the plays are there to be made, he will make them.
Adams left camp for a few days after he suffered the broken finger on July 27. After meetings with doctors it was decided to let the finger heal on its own. He may have to have surgery after the season but Adams sidestepped that question on Wednesday saying “we’ll worry about that later.”
As for playing with the injured finger and the cast, Adams said “it is what it is” and that it won’t impact his play on the field.
“Man, I’m good,” he said. “I’ve been through it too long, been playing with it for three years. It’s what I’ve got to do, man. It’s part of the game.”
This story will be updated.