The Seattle Seahawks made headlines by trading for New York Jets safety Jamal Adams. The move made a statement to the rest of the NFC West – the Seahawks want to win now.
However, Seahawks general manager John Schneider confided to NBC Sports’ Peter King that the move was partly motivated by intimidation of the team’s division rivals, specifically players like 49ers tight end George Kittle and Rams wide receiver Robert Woods who are notable for their speed and power.
“But you have to have so much speed on the back, especially when we’re playing against Kyler Murray and George Kittle and Robert Woods and all these guys that seem like they are just running all over the place,” Schneider said. “You’ve got to have as much speed on the field. So adding a guy like Jamal who has that versatility to play down in the box and play in the hole and play man coverage is really important to us.”
Schneider expressed his confidence in the safety group on hand entering the 2020 season (if there is one) with Adams in the fold and that it is imperative to have most, if not all of them, healthy.
“If you look at the National Football League now, especially our division, with all the crossers and talented tight ends that we have, it’s important Ugo [Amadi] and [Marquise] Blair and [Quandre] Diggs and now Jamal, it’s a really good group,” Schneider said. “We also have Lano Hill, who two years ago was playing at a very, very high level three games in a row and then had a very serious hip injury. He’s had a really nice offseason, so we’re looking forward to seeing him as well.”
The NFC West is going to be competitive, perhaps even more than last year, so the Seahawks will be hard-pressed to reclaim the division throne.
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