Jamal Adams solidifies Seahawks’ rebuilding secondary

The Seattle Seahawks paired Jamal Adams with Quandre Diggs and Shaquill Griffin this past weekend.

On Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Seattle Seahawks successfully acquired All-Pro safety Jamal Adams and a fourth-round pick from the New York Jets in exchange for two future first-round selections, a 2021 third-rounder, and Bradley McDougald. Adams joins Quandre Diggs in Seattle, forming one of the top safety duos in the NFL.

It took the Seahawks several seasons after the Legion of Boom broke apart to rebuild their secondary. However, the team finally began making progress over the past year. In October, Seattle traded a fifth-round pick to Detroit for Diggs. During his five games with the Seahawks, Diggs intercepted three passes, forced a fumble, and scored a touchdown.

Last season also became the turning point in Shaquill Griffin‘s young career. The former third-round pick finally began fulfilling his potential. While Griffin finished the season without an interception, he made the Pro Bowl. The trio of Adams, Diggs, and Griffin should serve as Seattle’s defensive foundation moving forward.

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The Seahawks put together the best team last decade thanks to a generational collection of defensive backs. However, Seattle said goodbye to all of the members of its dominant secondary in recent years. Kam Chancellor left football because of injuries. Richard Sherman joined the San Francisco 49ers, and Earl Thomas signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Seattle’s pass defense suffered without its superstars.

Last year, Seattle’s defense allowed the sixth-most passing yards per game. That was even worse than the previous season when the Seahawks finished 17th in pass defense. However, Adams’ arrival and Griffin’s emergence give Seattle one of the NFL’s best secondaries.

Jamal Adams changes the future for the Seahawks secondary.

Before going any further, I should say that this unit isn’t anywhere close to as commanding as the Legion of Boom. That defense featured two future Hall of Fame defensive backs and a linebacker in a safety’s body. Nevertheless, Seattle’s new-look secondary should become a point of strength for the otherwise questionable defense.

Last season, Adams finished in the top two on the Jets in sacks, quarterback hits, combined tackles, solo tackles, tackles for loss, interceptions, passes defensed, defensive touchdowns, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. He’s arguably the best safety in the NFL and turns a mediocre Seahawks secondary into a potentially top-ten unit.

The safety duo of Adams and Diggs sits near the top of the NFL. Minnesota’s duo of Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith is by far the best safety pairing in the league. Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons aren’t far behind. Below those two duos, you find Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, Tyrann Mathieu and Juan Thornhill, and Adams and Diggs.

With second-year safety Marquise Blair providing depth, the Seahawks don’t have any concerns at safety. However, the cornerback position could still give Seattle difficulty this season. While Griffin had a career outing in 2019, offenses regularly exploited Tre Flowers.

The Seahawks traded for Quinton Dunbar, who they hoped could push Flowers or potentially start alongside Griffin, but the former undrafted free agent ran into some trouble this offseason. Reports surfaced that Dunbar and DeAndre Baker tried to instigate a cover-up following an alleged armed robbery the two cornerbacks participated in months ago.

With Dunbar’s availability for the season in question, the Seahawks might have to start Flowers opposite of Griffin again. While the team still believes Flowers can turn his young career around, the college safety turned corner cannot play like he did last season if Seattle wants to qualify as an elite secondary.