Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
In addition to the new arrivals, a couple of Seahawks players have changed jersey numbers for this year.
Here is the updated Seattle Seahawks 90-man roster by jersey number for the 2024 offseason.
Latest updates: Undrafted rookie linebacker Easton Gibbs has switched from No. 57 to No. 40, while No. 57 has gone to rookie defensive tackle Nathan Pickering. Also, defensive tackle Buddha Jones has taken No. 62 and linebacker Devin Richardson is wearing No. 43.
One of the biggest sticking points apparently was how to use former strong safety Jamal Adams.
In case it wasn’t already evident, former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider had different ideas about how to build this team. Carroll had personnel control, so he ultimately bore responsibility for the team’s mediocre run since the end of the 2015 season – which was the last time they had a legitimate chance to make the NFC Championship game.
One of the biggest sticking points apparently was how to use former strong safety Jamal Adams, who’s still a free agent. Brock Huard says Schneider and the front office wanted to cater to Adams’ strengths by using him around the line of scrimmage as a linebacker. However, Pete kept him at safety despite his issues in coverage.
This echoes what John recently said & it suggest 2 things:
1) weird disconnect btwn front office & coaching staff on a massive acquisition
2) odd roster construction considering Jordyn Brooks was just drafted & KJ/Bobby were under contract, the latter for multiple years. https://t.co/wQDT9kAdvE pic.twitter.com/YyQphtfXN8
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) May 15, 2024
Trading for Adams in the first place was a terrible idea, even if he was arguably the best safety in the league at the time. Giving up two first-round picks and then paying him a massive new contract was probably the worst blunder in franchise history and you can make a case that Carroll deserved to be fired for that move alone – or at least have roster control stripped from his list of duties.
As controversial and unpopular as Adams has become, there’s still a chance he could return. Schneider and new head coach Mike Macdonald have both said they might re-sign Adams – this time exclusively using him as a linebacker.
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As unreliable as Adams has been in coverage we still expect him to find a home somewhere in the NFL.
Jamal Adams may have been the most unpopular player on the Seahawks last season. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have value, though.
If you need evidence look no further than the reporting from Bob Condotta at the Seattle Times earlier this week, which states that Seattle is still in contact with Adams and other teams are interested as well, including the 49ers.
Sources tell The Seattle Times the Seahawks and Jamal Adams remain in contact. I explain below why it could still make sense. However, other teams are also showing interest in Adams, who remains a free agent. https://t.co/8M3bif8yEi via @seattletimes
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) April 29, 2024
Head coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider have both said they’re open to Adams returning. However, it would be as an off-ball linebacker rather than a safety.
That’s probably the way to go with any team that signs Adams, measurables aside. While he can still make a positive impact in the box as a run defender and pass rusher Adams has been inconsistent at best in coverage. His career PFF grades in this department by year illustrate how wild the ride has been:
As unreliable as Adams has been in coverage we still expect him to find a home somewhere in the NFL now that free agent signings no longer count towards the comp pick formula. If the Seahawks do sign him he would project as a backup behind Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson at iLB.
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The #49ers are staying in touch with free agent S Jamal Adams per Bob Condotta of the Seattle times. They should stop.
The 49ers apparently aren’t totally happy with their safety room. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times on Monday reported San Francisco is one of the teams that has stayed in touch with free agent safety Jamal Adams. This isn’t something they should explore further.
With the NFL draft now passed, free agent signings no longer factor into the compensatory pick formula so we’ll start seeing more veterans who are still available start signing. The 49ers could certainly add more depth in the trenches, but adding a safety in general doesn’t make a ton of sense unless they have real concerns about Talanoa Hufanga’s return from a torn ACL. It makes even less sense if Adams is the player they add.
Adams, 28, was once an outstanding young safety who went to three Pro Bowls and was named to three All-Pro teams in the 2018-20 seasons. Since his last Second-Team All-Pro nod in 2020 though he’s been a shell of himself while also dealing with injuries. Over the last three seasons the former Jets first-round pick has played in just 22 games, including 10 in the last two years. He hasn’t played more than 12 games in a season since 2019 when he played in 14 for the Jets.
Over the course of that time his value as a do-everything safety has dwindled as he’s taken on a role more akin to that of a linebacker. In four years with Seattle he played in 34 games, notched only two interceptions and 11 pass breakups, and all 9.5 of his sacks came in 2020.
Pro Football Focus graded out Adams as average to below average in each of his last three seasons where he played more than 500 snaps. He’s also been graded out as below average in coverage in every year of that same stretch. Adams also missed 15 tackles in just nine games last season which raises questions about just how effective he is even in a limited role.
It’s not totally clear what the 49ers envision his role being. He’s probably too small to play linebacker full-time, but there may be an opportunity for a hybrid LB/S spot in the defense under new defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen. In that very specific role it may be worth taking an inexpensive flier on the three-time All-Pro, but he doesn’t play special teams and there may not be a roster spot available as the team aims to get younger at both linebacker and safety
Perhaps San Francisco is just trying to drive up the price in case the Seahawks want to re-sign him, but given his struggles over the last three seasons it’s hard to envision the 49ers having a ton of success with him in their defense.
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Jamal Adams is still a free agent. The three-time Pro Bowl safety could help the Saints in multiple aspects, if he’s used properly:
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.
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Here are six who are still free agents.
Adams has appeared in 34 games with the Seahawks and he has missed 34 due to injury…
The idea that the Seahawks might bring back embattled strong safety Jamal Adams after cutting him sounds like the kind of thing a blogger might come up with to write about on a slow news day. Unfortunately, it seems in this case it’s also a distinct possibility.
According to Seattle’s new head coach Mike Macdonald, the team has considered bringing back Adams, per Brady Henderson at ESPN.
“We love Jamal, and if it’s the right opportunity, I think we would jump at it. But it hasn’t been like this long-form conversation about it, but he’s a guy that we respect a ton and again, if it’s the right opportunity for us and the right opportunity for him, I’m sure we’d be interested in doing that.”
Macdonald later clarified that if Adams does indeed return he would be playing linebacker rather than safety, per Henderson.
Since coming over to Seattle in a trade with the Jets in July 2020, Adams has appeared in 34 games with the Seahawks and he has missed 34 due to injury if you count the Wild Card loss to the 49ers in 2022.
This past season Adams appeared in nine games, earning a high grade for pass rushing (85.5) but poor grades in every other part of the game and a 54.9 overall. That ranked him 88 out of 95 qualifying safeties in 2023. Seattle cut Adams just before free agency began, saving around $6 million in cap room and taking on over $20 million in dead money.
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According to Bill Barnwell at ESPN, the Falcons are the best fit for Adams.
Former Seahawks guard Damien Lewis and linebacker Jordyn Brooks cashed in on the first day of free agency, getting the Seahawks projected fourth and fifth-round comp picks next year in the process. However, the rest of Seattle’s key free agents have not fared nearly as well on the open market – not counting the tight ends.
The toughest outlook is for Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, who were cut just before free agency began, joining a crowded market at safety that includes multiple Pro Bowlers and one All-Pro. As of yet we have heard no reports of interest in either one to get signed. However, we do expect both to find new teams for this coming season eventually.
According to Bill Barnwell at ESPN, the Falcons are the best fit for Adams.
“Best fit: Atlanta Falcons. Jessie Bates has one safety spot locked down, but 2021 second-round pick Richie Grant regressed badly last season and is entering the final year of his contract. Adams could push second-year safety DeMarcco Hellams for a starting role and offer an oft-moribund Falcons pass rush some extra juice as a blitzer.”
Atlanta’s defense doesn’t have many needs, but they could use a thumper like Adams to disrupt things in the box. As Barnwell mentions, he can still be useful in the right role when he’s healthy.
Seattle will be paying a high price to get rid of him, though – taking on over $20 million in dead money in 2024. However, they’ll be completely out from under his contract next year.
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ESPN listed the Atlanta Falcons as an ideal landing spot for one free-agent safety…
The Atlanta Falcons spent big on free-agent safety Jessie Bates last offseason and after one year, it looks like money well spent. Bates finished his first season in Atlanta with six interceptions, helping turn the team’s secondary from a weakness into a strength.
Could the Falcons sign another top safety to pair with Bates in 2024? Several quality options are still on the market after the opening week of free agency. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell released a new feature that lists the best landing spots for the top 20 remaining NFL free agents.
Atlanta was listed as the best fit for three-time Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams:
While Grant did face his share of struggles last season, it was his first year playing in Ryan Nielsen’s scheme and the Falcons have since hired a new defensive coordinator. Considering head coach Raheem Morris has a background in coaching defensive backs, it may be too early to give up on the 26-year-old.
The Falcons have bigger needs at cornerback and edge rusher which could take precedence over adding a veteran safety like Adams. Still, it’s an intriguing option to pair Bates with another Pro Bowler as the team looks to contend in 2024.
John Schneider won’t rule out re-signing Seahawks players who have been cut
The Seahawks are about to join the free agency frenzy, as the league’s legal tampering period is set to begin in a couple of hours. So far, there hasn’t been much news regarding this team and their efforts in free agency. We only have word of one outside free agent visit – that being former Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins. We also have heard that middle linebacker Bobby Wagner will hit the open market and is unlikely to return to Seattle.
While Wagner’s second exit from the Seahawks is another bummer, fans don’t necessarily have to think every player who’s been cut over the last week or so may not ever come back. In fact, general manager John Schneider said last week on ESPN’s Dave Wyman and Bob Stelton show that they haven’t shut the door on bringing back anybody, H/T Seahawks.com.
“To be able to have (the coaching staff’s) opinions on players obviously is very important, we haven’t shut the door on any of them to come back, but when you do these contracts and try to create cap room, there’s ramifications.”
We can probably safely assume that strong safety Jamal Adams does not count in the group of players who might be returning. However, if they’re willing to come back on a smaller contract, Will Dissly, Bryan Mone and especially Quandre Diggs are all worth considering.
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