Tag: safety

Jamal Adams proving why Jets need to keep him

The Jets can lock up Jamal Adams as early as this summer and they should seriously consider it after his second consecutive three-sack game.

Remember the idea of trading Jamal Adams after the season? Scrap it. The Jets will and should pay Adams for what he is: the best safety in the NFL.

Adams proved to the Jets for the second-straight game how much of a game-changer he can be on defense. Adams followed up his two-sack, nine-tackle performance that included a fumble recovery touchdown in Week 10 with a three-sack outing against the Redskins on Sunday. He leads the Jets in almost every defensive statistic and looks like a reinvigorated man on a mission after trade rumors upset him after the deadline. 

“I understand my worth. I know what I can bring to a team. And I’m so excited to be a part of this Jets organization,” Adams said after the game. “I’m the best doing it. That’s all that matters.”

Players of Adams’ caliber don’t come around often. When they do, teams generally try and keep them around for as long as possible. Though Adams appeared to be on his way out of New York after a tumultuous trade deadline week — he refused to talk to Adam Gase or Joe Douglas and made ambiguous statements about his future with the franchise — the safety knows he’s due for a big paycheck as early as this offseason. Every week he puts up games like his past two, his price only goes up – either on the trade block or in the negotiating room.

Douglas rightly asked for the moon when discussing trades for Adams at the deadline, and now it looks like two early-round picks might not even be enough to acquire Adams’ services. The safety is a game-wrecker and is on pace to break the NFL sack record for a defensive back set by Cardinals’ safety Adrian Wilson in 2011. Adams has a team-high six sacks through 10 games and only needs two more to tie Wilson’s total and three to top it.

Credit to defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who has unlocked Adams’ pass-rushing ability. Adams is blitzing more from the edge than he’s ever done in his career and he’s getting consistent pressure on quarterbacks. He has nine quarterback hits to go along with his six sacks. Adams is enjoying the blitz packages and his role as the versatile safety in Williams’ scheme. 

“The picks aren’t coming my way,” Adams said, pointing out his lone interception compared to his six sacks, “so I thought I’d do something different.”

Teams build identities off players like Adams. His swagger and skill blend seamless for what the Jets want to cultivate as they continue in the Gase-Douglas era. Adams provides the figurehead on defense next to Darnold on offense and to take that away for a couple of draft picks is a useless long-term play that detracts from any promising future the team may have.

But it will cost the Jets to keep Adams. A lot. Landon Collins and Kevin Byard each signed a contract this past offseason that pays them $14 million and $14.1 million a year, respectively. Those will be the starting point for Adams. 

He’s worth it.

You take away Adams and the Jets have no star on defense. No leader. No one who can terrorize quarterbacks and wide receivers alike. He is the heart and soul of the Jets defense and he’ll command a salary that recognizes that.

Christopher Johnson knows this. That’s why he told Adams he wants him to be a Jet for life. Douglas knows this even though he fielded trade calls for him less than a month ago. Gase definitely knows this and acknowledged Adams’ game-changing ability after the Redskins game.

“You feel him the whole game on the sideline [and] on the field,” Gase said. “He’s bringing everything he has. He’s just laying it all out there… It’s very impressive to watch him play. It’s as consistent as you can get, too. He’s making unbelievable plays week after week.”

The Jets don’t have many stars on their team. Darnold is still a work in progress, Quinnen Williams is young and who knows how long Le’Veon Bell and Robby Anderson will remain on the roster. Adams is the closest thing the Jets have to a face of the franchise, and they need to keep him around as long as possible.

Texans safety Justin Reid will not return against the Ravens

Houston Texans safety Justin Reid is out against the Baltimore Ravens and will not return for the fourth quarter.

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The Houston Texans declared safety Justin Reid out and will not let him return against the Baltimore Ravens. The second-year safety left the game with a shoulder injury.

Houston trails 27-0 to start the fourth quarter.

For Houston, they have to make considerations as to whether or not they want to let Reid and other injured secondary players, such as cornerback Lonnie Johnson, return to the game when they have to face the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night at NRG Stadium.

Reid played all 16 games last season, but had wrist surgery in the offseason.

Reid finished the game with three combined tackles.

Does Minkah Fitzpatrick have a case for DPOY?

Minkah Fitzpatrick has had an interesting welcome into the NFL, but it doesn’t seem to have stopped him from playing his best football yet. After being drafted by the Miami Dolphins with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, it had looked …

Minkah Fitzpatrick has had an interesting welcome into the NFL, but it doesn’t seem to have stopped him from playing his best football yet.

After being drafted by the Miami Dolphins with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, it had looked like Fitzpatrick was poised to be the lead man in the team’s secondary.

Instead, he was bounced around three different positions, and was unable to solidify himself as a large contributor because of this.

When the Alabama product requested a trade early on in the 2019 regular season, the Dolphins granted his wish – it also helped that they were looking to build up draft stock in preparation for the 2020 NFL Draft.

A trade was made with Pittsburgh after Week 2, and thus, the breakout year had begun.

In his seven weeks as a Steeler, it’s been hard to not find Fitzpatrick’s name in a headline.

He’s made flashy plays and crucial plays in the black and yellow, almost as if he wanted to show the Dolphins’ front office ‘what could have been.’

So far in 2019, Fitzpatrick, with both teams, has accumulated five interceptions, two defensive touchdowns, eight pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and 45 total tackles.

This stat line is not only impressive for a second-year player that struggled with his original team, but for any defensive back in the pros.

If he is able to continue making big plays that positively affect his team, and keep his name in the headlines – for positive, on-the-field, reasons – he could enter the 2020 season as the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

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