The Titans seemingly bolstered their secondary in the offseason with three headline-grabbing additions. While starting cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and starting safety Quandre Diggs have mostly lived up to the hype as contributors, veteran safety Jamal Adams has failed to make an impact, appearing in just 20 snaps this season including a one-snap appearance in Week 4 following a Week 3 start.
While it’s not clear whether or not injury has been a factor in Adams’ lack of presence on the defense so far, injury will seemingly be a factor in his future absence. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Adams has been placed on the reserve/non-football injury list with a hip issue. He will now sit out, at least, the Titans’ next four games.
ESPN’s Turron Davenport brings additional color to the situation, reporting that Adams has reportedly “been frustrated by the lack of playing time” in Tennessee. After not playing in Week 1, Adams appeared in two defensive snaps in his Week 2 debut with the Titans. He got the start the following week but still only played 17 defensive snaps. Following that up with only one snap in Week 4 seems to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
According to Davenport, Adams felt he could truly contribute to the Titans defensive unit, even if it wasn’t in a starting role. Regardless of whether or not he was coming off the bench, Adams “just wanted a chance to help the team.”
This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve seen Adams at odds with his employer. His notorious breakup with the Jets is well-documented, and part of his split with Seattle was due to unhappiness in his role, most notably that they asked him to transition to linebacker. The “non-football” part of his injury designation raises eyebrows as it implies that he will miss time for something that occurred off the field. It will be interesting to see what details are revealed as reporting on the situation continues.
For now, though, it appears the new marriage between Adams and Tennessee could be in trouble. Between a non-football injury causing him to miss time and his public displeasure with his playing time, it’s hard to imagine a long, happy union in the two parties’ futures.