Bucky Brooks: Seahawks’ Jamal Adams will ‘rekindle some of that magic’

There’s plenty of reason to be excited about the Seattle Seahawks in 2023.

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Quarterback Geno Smith is back after a stellar Pro Bowl campaign, and he has a returning 1,000-yard back in Kenneth Walker III as well as two rookie backs in Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh to give the ball to. Smith also has DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett returning at receiver and a shiny new toy in first-round receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Defensively, cornerback Tariq Woolen is back after a Pro Bowl rookie season, and he’ll likely play opposite No. 5 overall pick Devon Witherspoon. The Seahawks also made some upgrades up front with signings of Dre’Mont Jones and Jarran Reed on the defensive line and reuniting with future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Seattle will get another player back who could be key to their championship aspirations, too. That’s safety Jamal Adams.

Adams, a multi-time All-Pro, is the Seahawks’ highest-paid player entering 2023 but has dealt with injuries in each of his three years in Seattle, most notably last year when he missed all but one game due to a severe quad injury he suffered in Week 1.

Bucky Brooks, an analyst for the NFL Network and FOX Sports, thinks Adams could return from that injury and be an impact player like we saw in 2020 when he set an NFL single-season record for sacks by a defensive back with 9.5.

“I think they’ve already started taking steps to make that happen, right?” Brooks said during a Tuesday interview with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “(Pro Bowl free safety) Quandre Diggs played at a high level last year and he’s played at a high level since he’s come over to Seattle (in 2019). And now you bring Julian Love over, you have two safeties that can play in the deep part of the field, so you can drop Jamal Adams in the box and really use him almost like a nickel-safety-linebacker (hybrid).”

Brooks thinks Adams is “at his best” when playing near the line of scrimmage because he has great instincts and awareness, and is also a good tackler with pass-rush ability.

“Now you’re putting him in a spot where he can do what he does really well,” Brooks said.

Brooks also mentioned a player who stood out for Seahawks coach Pete Carroll during his time at USC as the template for what Adams could be for the Seahawks if he’s healthy.

“For the longest time I’ve said Jamal Adams’ comparison is Troy Polamalu,” Brooks said. “If you go back to what Pete Carroll had at USC when he had Troy Polamalu, he used him near the line of scrimmage and let him rush off the edge and do those things. Jamal Adams is at his best when he’s played in a role like that. This year, he will have an opportunity to play in a role like that and I think you will see him play at a high level, because going all the way back to how (former defensive coordinator) Greg Williams used him with the Jets, when he was near the line of scrimmage, that’s when he made the magic happen. I think you’ll see him kind of rekindle some of that magic this year.”

Part of that magic could come in the form of Adams moving around the defensive formation before the ball is snapped.

“I think for him, you’re trying to create opportunities for him to make the most plays. He makes the most plays … at the point of attack,” Brooks said. “You want to move him around and let him use his (skills). He’s a high football IQ guy. I’ve known him since high school, watched him mature at LSU. He knows the game, and so you want to put him in a position where he can see ball and go get the ball.

“Moving him around is all a part of the window dressing, and then you just kind of tell him, ‘Hey man, move where you want to move to. Just get to this spot by the time the ball is snapped.’ That makes it very difficult for the offense to account for him, to figure out how to move protections in the blocking scheme towards him. So the more freedom that you give him to kind of play loose and freestyle, the more impactful plays he’s going to be able to deliver.”

Listen to the full interview with Brooks at this link or in the player near the top of this story.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Quandre Diggs on top-10 lists snubbing Hawks: ‘I just want my game respected’
• Bucky Brooks: Seahawks ‘closed the gap’ with 49ers, so what’s next?
• Rost: The Seattle Seahawks who could steal attention at camp from others
• Seahawks’ Tre Brown and Dee Eskridge: Who has best shot at a spot?
• Huard: What’s the Seattle Seahawks stat that exposed a Carroll misconception?

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