Detroit Signs Former Pro-Bowl Safety to Bolster Injury-Riddled Defense

Jamal Adams, then with the Seattle Seahawks, warms up before a game against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Oct. 22, 2023, in Seattle. Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Former Tennessee Titans safety Jamal Adams signed with the Detroit Lions this week, joining a team that sits atop the NFC playoff race but has dealt with significant injuries to its defensive backfield.

The team announced Dec. 1 that they had signed Adams to their practice squad. Adams played just three games with Tennessee before asking to be cut.

“It’s a dream come true,” Adams said at a press gaggle on Monday, via the Detroit Free Press. “They didn’t have to call me. They didn’t need me—they’ve been doing phenomenal. So just to get that call from a first-class organization like the Detroit Lions, it’s a no-brainer for me.”

Adams expressed his excitement at joining the Lions, who lead the NFC North with an 11-1 record.

“I’m fortunate enough to, again, just to be on a team that’s rolling like that,” Adams said. “And whatever I can do to help, that’s what I’m here for.”

On his first day of practice Monday, Adams was seen working with the linebackers, the Detroit Free Press reported. Adams is listed as a safety but has been used throughout his career as a “box safety,” functioning as a blitzer and working in run support from the middle of the defense.

Injuries have left the Lions thin at the second level of defense. Malcolm Rodriguez was the latest linebacker to go down with an injury; he tore his ACL during the Thanksgiving Day win over the Chicago Bears and is out for the remainder of the season. Alex Anzalone fractured his forearm against the Jacksonville Jaguars in November and will be out 6-8 weeks.

Derrick Barnes tore his MCL and PCL against the Arizona Cardinals in September, and is likely out for the season. Jalen Reeves-Maybin suffered a neck injury against the Green Bay Packers in November; he will be eligible to return for the Lions’ rematch against Green Bay on Thursday, but he did not appear on the team’s practice report Tuesday, so his availability remains unknown.

The Lions are also without safety Ifeatu Melifonwu, who injured his finger in practice in November. He is eligible to return on Dec. 22.

Detroit reinforced its linebacking corps after Rodriguez’s injury last week, signing linebacker Kwon Alexander off the Denver Broncos’ practice squad on Friday. Alexander started two games and played in three for Denver, recording eight tackles and forcing a fumble. Though the Lions’ linebacking corps is thin, it is still led by 2023 first-round draft pick Jack Campbell, along with Ezekiel Turner, Ben Niemann, and David Long Jr.

Adams is unlikely to play the true safety position, which is manned by 2022 second-round pick Brian Branch and 2022 third-round pick Kerby Joseph, with Brandon Joseph and Loren Strickland in reserve. Branch is second on the team in total tackles with 67, with four interceptions and a forced fumble. Joseph is tied for third on the team in tackles with 56, and has seven  interceptions, including a 33-yard touchdown return.

Adams was selected by the New York Jets with the sixth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He was a starter in his first season, and was named to his first Pro Bowl and a Second Team All-Pro in 2018. He won a First Team All-Pro nod in 2019 along with his second consecutive Pro Bowl.

He was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2020 and became the highest-paid safety in the NFL in 2021. He was unceremoniously cut by Seattle in 2024 and signed with the Tennessee Titans. Adams played in just three games for Tennessee before asking to be released in October. He was cut by the Titans on Oct. 17.