Chicago Bears fans were interested in drafting Jamal Adams over Mitch Trubisky two years ago. How has the second year safety looked?
It is always fun to think back at some of the draft talk when two players such as Jamal Adams and Mitch Trubisky square off. We never hear about Adams anymore because he is a safety on a team that the Chicago Bears do not play often. However, leading up to the draft, half of you reading this post thought he would be a Bear rather than Trubisky.
With the upcoming game agains the New York Jets, it presented a chance to look into what the second year safety has brought to the Jets defense.
Raw Stats
Jamal Adams has 50 combined tackles through seven games. That has him on pace for 114, a huge uptick from his 82 last season. He has six tackles for loss so far after just nine tackles for loss in 2017. He also has a sack, two forced fumbles and six passes defensed. All of these are going to be massive upticks from his rookie season.
Pro Football Focus tends to agree with the raw stats. They say that he is having a pretty good season, and grades out as the 11th safety overall this season. Still, it is hard to miss Eddie Jackson grading out at number nine so far this season. Jackson of course was taken 106 picks later.
Run defender
Jamal Adams has been a forced off of the edge as a run defender. He is a pure in the box safety, and does a good job of reading the run before the snap. Before the draft Adams was regarded as a player with a high floor, a safe pick. There is no doubt that this what you are getting with his ability to process information and react.
Take the clip linked here. The Broncos motion. Adams is in sync with Darron Lee and Avery Williamson and they all shift. Adams gets set, reads, the run and blows the run up in the backfield all in the same motion.
In this play you can see that Golden Tate is supposed to come in and seal Jamal Adams off to the outside. However, Adams read the play and reacted before Tate was able to get there. He blew the play up.
Blowing up the run in the backfield is a common strength for Jamal Adams. Only Harrison Smith has seen 150 run defense snaps and put up a better grade than Adams this season.
Adams saw Smith last week and put on a show in the running game with a strong tackle for loss shown here, and another where he blows Stefon Diggs up off of the line of scrimmage. Jamal Adams is an alpha, and sets the tone with a physical presence in run defense.
While he has been strong in this area, a play that the Chicago Bears will absolutely be looking at was this one against Ryan Tannehill . The Dolphins ran play action and had Tannehill run a naked boot. Jamal Adams, who is aggressive in getting the running back behind the line of scrimmage bit down on the play action fake. This helped expose the edge and cut Tannehilll loose.
Could the athletic Trubisky get the aggressive Adams to over pursue?
Pass Defense
Adams uses the same instincts and determination to get into the backfield to disrupt in the backfield against quarterbacks. Aside from his sacks, he is the top graded safety in pass rush, which is no surprise when you turn on the tape of Adams. He is ferocious in his ability to get after the quarterback.
However, it is almost unfair to say that he gets after the quarterback. Adams is a smart player, and he is getting after the football. There is a reason that his forced fumbles are up and there is a reason why he is getting home so successfully. He is finding the ball.
Coverage
His ability in coverage is what you would expect from a physical run defending safety who carries it over to a strong pass rush. He is a punisher. As a strong safety, the New York Jets hardly deploy him as a single high free safety.
He has hardly played man in coverage, but is 4-9 when targeted in man. However, he is usually asked to cover as a robber, or a two-high safety.
In that role, he is responsible for keeping the ball in front of him. He is 16-24 when targeted in zone. While he has given up the completions, he has done a strong job of making the tackle and limiting yards after the catch.
Most of the catches allowed look like the incompletion shown here. Adams crashes down hard and makes the hit right as the receiver is catching it. Sometimes the receiver hangs on, and is down immediately. Sometimes, like that instance, Adams is able to separate ball from receiver.
This play against Niles Paul was exceptional and could come into play against Mitch Trubisky. Adams shows blitz up the middle. However, he is able to drop back. read the play and tackle a slant route outside the hashes one yard short of a first down. This is the play a savvy veteran.
Trubisky has typically struggled when defenses are able to change coverages and show different blitz looks. Bortles did not think that Adams was anywhere near Paul when he threw that pass. Adams could try to disguise his look against the inexperienced quarterback on Sunday.
While there has been some good in coverage, there is a reason the Jets leave him in the box and have him rush the quarterback. As a deep field threat, he has been more susceptible than any other part of his game.
In the play linked here he is taking on the deep third as his teammate drops into the box. However, a quick glance to the left from Bortles sucks Adams in just a bit too deep and Donte Moncreif takes advantage of a safety nowhere to be found.
In the play here the Jets have their two safeties deep. Adams has over the top with the outside receiver, Demaryius Thomas and the tight end. Adams, who is usually very instinctive thinks that the tight end is going to break out to the sideline, and tries to jump the route. Instead, he is breaking to the middle of the field, and Adams is found in no mans land as Demaryius Thomas takes Darryl Roberts over the top.
So while Adams can try to bait Trubisky, Trubisky could find himself baiting Adams into a one-on-one deep ball pass as well. The Jets are down to their third string free safety to compliment Adams.
Conclusion
At the end of the day the question for Chicago Bears fans is whether or not they should have drafted Jamal Adams. After watching every snap of his 2018 season I will say that he is an excellent safety with a promising future. However, the Chicago Bears were smart to pass on him.
To start, he would not have fit next to Adrian Amos. Amos is very similar stylistically to Adams. Amos has played more man coverage, but both safeties are more effective in the box. Is Adams a more impactful player than Amos? Absolutely.
However, the fact of the matter is that the Chicago Bears still would have needed a free safety. Even the Jets double dipped and added Marcus Maye to Jamal Adams. Adams is exceptional against the run and is the best blitzing safety in the game right now. However, he is not going to be the best side line to sideline free safety.
Even if the Chicago Bears had drafted Adams, they would have needed to draft Eddie Jackson. To pass on Adams and keep Amos, while putting him in a better situation next to Jackson was a smart call. It saved them draft capital and hit the actual need in the back end.
As for the game there is no doubt that he will have a huge impact. The Chicago Bears will not be able to run to the edges, and will not be able to have success in the screen game the way that they would like. Jamal Adams will blow that up.
The Bears should trend to Jordan Howard over Tarik Cohen because of a player like Adams and Mitch Trubisky needs to know where he is at all times. If he is near the line of scrimmage, he needs to make sure Adams cannot get pressure on him. If Adams is playing deep off of the ball. Trubisky should try to test him.
Overall, it will be a fun game between two talents who were compared for hours on end just a week or two ago.