Bradley McDougald isn’t afraid of stepping into the shoes of a star safety.
McDougald will take Jamal Adams’ spot at free safety after the trade that sent McDougald to the Jets and Adams to the Seahawks. However, McDougald has prior experience replacing star safeties.
In Seattle, McDougald had to fill in for both Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas — two former members of Seattle’s Legion of Boom. That certainly wasn’t an easy task given that both players were Pro Bowlers multiple times with the Seahawks.
McDougald has put together a solid NFL career, though. He’s entering his eighth year in the league after going undrafted out of Kansas in 2013. McDougald started at free safety in two of his four years in Tampa Bay before joining the Seahawks in 2017 as a backup.
In 2018, McDougald became the full-time starting strong safety and performed well. He had 76 total tackles, nine pass defenses, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in his first full year as a starter. McDougald followed it up with 68 total tackles, six pass defenses, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery last season. Overall, McDougald has 10 career interceptions.
While there is an obvious drop-off in talent between McDougald and Adams, the former is a dependable player who won’t be phased taking over for a fan-favorite star. That should be good news for McDougald as he adjusts to the pressure of playing in New York and replacing a player of Adams’ caliber.