Tennessee Titans fans have been wondering when the team would address their need at the safety position. General manager Ran Carthon took action on Thursday morning by signing veteran safety Jamal Adams to a one-year contract. ESPN's Turron Davenport broke the news, and the Titans confirmed the agreement via social media just minutes later.
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— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) July 11, 2024
The Titans are without three players at the position that played significant snaps for them last season. They are Kevin Byard, K'Von Wallace, and Terrell Edmunds. Byard was traded midway through the 2023 campaign, and both Edmunds and Wallace signed elsewhere in free agency.
Despite those departures, Carthon hadn't paid the position much attention throughout the offseason prior to Adams' signing. The Titans didn't sign a single safety during the first or second phase of free agency, nor did they technically select one in the 2024 NFL Draft. Seventh-round pick James Williams is making a positional change from safety to linebacker.
Carthon had been linked to several free-agent safeties prior to Adams' agreement. They previously hosted Marcus Maye in Nashville on a free-agent visit, but Maye has since signed with the Miami Dolphins. Tennessee was also loosely linked with former Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons, who remains available presumably due to his high asking price.
Adams possesses significant familiarity with new Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. Wilson was his defensive backs position coach with the New York Jets from 2017 to 2019. Throughout that time frame, Adams collected 273 total tackles, 25 passes defensed, and two interceptions. He made back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances in 2018 and 2019.
Adams was traded to the Seattle Seahawks prior to the 2020 campaign amidst a contract dispute with the Jets. The former LSU standout earned a third consecutive Pro Bowl nod in his first season in Seattle, but has since battled recurring and significant injuries.
Adams suffered a torn labrum in 2021 that ended his campaign prematurely. In 2022, the versatile defensive back suffered a season-ending torn quad tendon injury during a Week 1 victory over the Denver Broncos. Injuries continued derailing Adams in 2023 as concussion and knee strain injuries limited him to nine-regular season appearances. Unsurprisingly, the Seahawks released him from his lucrative contract earlier this summer.
Adams now joins a revamped Titans secondary that features fellow newcomers L'Jarius Sneed and Chido Awuzie. Head coach Brian Callahan will hope that his familiarity with coach Wilson will help get his career back on track. The Titans are inheriting minimal risk considering it's a one-year deal, but their decision to sign Adams will be questioned if he continues being sidelined, or if injuries have taken a significant toll on his abilities.