It wasn’t all that long ago that the New York Jets had safety Jamal Adams hoping to be a “Jet for life”. Now, however, there is a much different vibe between Adams, one of the more dynamic safeties in all of football, and the Jets — Adams has officially requested a trade from the organization. The thought of adding Jamal Adams would be an exciting one for any of the NFL’s other 31 franchises, including the Miami Dolphins.
But it is hard to envision a divisional rival dealing away their best player to a player within the AFC East, and so the dreams of Adams player for Brian Flores are likely exactly that: dreams.
And so for Miami, the next best hope is to see Adams shuttled away from the Jets none the less and reap the benefits of no longer having him call the Jets “home”. Here are three big ways that Jamal Adams’ potential departure would help the Dolphins.
Opens up the RPO game against the Jets
The Dolphins will run a lot of run-pass option in Chan Gailey’s new system. Adams is one of the rare defenders who can roll down onto the second level or sit on the hash and be a nuisance and enforcer to split the difference. That’s what makes Adams a rare player — his instincts and presence in the box aren’t that of your typical safety. So, to be rid of Adams will give Miami more immediate opportunities to isolate defenders and create mistakes as they try to RPO against the Jets on offense.
Softens a division rival and the AFC East in general
The AFC East landscape is shifting before our very eyes. Losing Adams doesn’t just help Miami in head to head matchups, it softens the Jets for the entire length of a season and makes them less of a threat to Miami in the standings. The Patriots are still the defending champions of the East, but they have undergone some drastic changes of their own recently — but no change will have a bigger long-term impact on the division than a trade of Jamal Adams.
Removes a loud voice that may oppose Adam Gase in New York
The longer Dolphins fans can have the Jets remain committed to Adam Gase in New York, the better. And Adams is a player who isn’t afraid to speak his mind — so a trade out of New York may help the Jets keep the waters calm in the locker room and avoid a big blowout that may force ownership’s hand in making a change at head coach sooner rather than later.