38 Days Until Chicago Bears 2017 Season Kicks off: Adrian Amos Profile
The Bear Goggles On Countdown to Kickoff series is now underway for the second season in a row. With 38 days to go until the Bears’ season kicks off, we will highlight the Bears’ player that is wearing number 38, Adrian Amos.
2016 Review
Adrian Amos came into the league back in 2015 as a fifth-round draft pick out of Penn State. He was thrown in as the starter at free safety right out of the gate. He had a “decent” rookie season and impressed. Some think that he took a step back last year, however, although his numbers are almost exactly what they were in 2015. But safety play is not all about the numbers. It’s about making big plays and stopping opponents quickly and decisively. And Amos did not do that consistently last year.
His numbers last year include 67 total tackles with 57 solo and ten assisted. He had five passes defended (compared to just two in 2015) but no interceptions (in either season). He did force one fumble in 2016. His lack of productivity has been noticed, and it has made a difference in the play of the Bears’ secondary.
2017 Outlook
The Bears have brought in some additional talent at the safety position this offseason. This means that Amos is going to have to step it up. Eddie Jackson is being considered by some as a good candidate to replace Amos. If Jackson has a strong camp, Amos will end up being his backup.
Amos is almost exclusively a free safety and doesn’t have the size to play strong safety should he have to move around. There is not be much flexibility with him. So moving into the starting strong safety spot is not an option.
Chicago Bears
His lack of production needs to be addressed. The coaching staff needs to get with Amos, who is still young, and help him find ways to produce more turnovers. He has had opportunities to make plays in the past but has run into problems. He has either taken himself out of position some plays while on others he gets taken out by opponents. The Bears need Amos to be productive so they can have a stronger defense.
But will he be able to keep his starting role and get a chance to be productive?
It’s not a sure thing that Amos will be able to retain his spot as the starting free safety and start alongside Quintin Demps. It’s possible someone like Jackson could creep up and snag the starting job away from him. So, for Amos, now is the time to put it all together and play better.
Consider him a lock to make the roster but not a sure thing to start at free safety. It’s not out of the question to say that he could be a backup this season should someone like Jackson shine.
Future with the Bears
If Amos has a good season in 2017, then you can expect him to stick with the team in 2018. However, I would hope that the Bears would try to find some additional talent to help improve the free safety spot. That’s if both Jackson and Amos don’t work out of course. But that might not be necessary if either of them plays lights out this year.
When it comes to contracts and cap numbers, right now, Amos is playing on a four-year contract, and he is in the third year of that deal. They won’t cut him this year, but if they were to cut him next year, that would leave the Bears with just $58,070 in dead cap space. That’s something to think about.
But if Amos does not step it up this season and plays well, the Bears will have to do something else. This is his make or break season. And if he doesn’t do well this year, he just might not make it past his first contract with the Bears.