Raiders just nailed the Jamal Adams move the Seahawks should have made all along

The Seattle Seahawks just wrapped up their first preseason game and saw plenty of familiar faces on the other sideline. It was Pete Carroll’s first game coaching with another team since 2009, and Geno Smith got the start for the Raiders. But there was another former Seahawk who showed out on Thursday night, and that was Jamal Adams.

The Raiders have signed several older veterans this offseason, including Devin White, Elandon Roberts, and Jaylon Smith, to shore up their defense. But the signing of Adams has already proven to be a wise decision, as the Raiders are playing the former Seahawks safety at linebacker.

While we shouldn’t overreact to a handful of preseason snaps, it’s very obvious that Adams looks healthy and comfortable playing linebacker. He’s never been a great coverage player, but he is at his best near the line of scrimmage, where he can blitz and run from sideline to sideline.

Jamal Adams always should have been a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks

Adams made multiple plays against the Seahawks on Thursday night, including a tackle for loss on third and long where he beat a blocker and knifed into the backfield. His energy and quickness are still there, and it’s not hard to see why Carroll wants to give him another shot.

Adams will turn 30 this season and is trying to prove that he can still stick in the league. Injuries have really hampered him over the last few seasons, as he’s played only 573 defensive snaps over the last three seasons, according to Pro Football Reference.

It’s hard to imagine that he’s going to be an every-down player for the Raiders at this stage of his career, but he did work with the starters in Week 1 of the preseason.

The Seahawks tried to make it work with Adams as a strong safety, but there were just too many times when he would get exposed in coverage. But playing him as a weakside linebacker and having him closer to the line of scrimmage seems like the best possible way to use him.

It might be too late in his career for Adams to make this transition, but it is a move that the Seahawks should have made a long time ago. And maybe if they did, he would still be with the team.