The Raiders rolled the dice a little when they signed former All-Pro safety Jamal Adams but based on his production in a limited role in week 1, adding Adams was one of the team’s better decisions of the offseason.
Adams enjoyed some of the best years of his career with Pete Carroll in Seattle, but on Sunday he posted his highest Pro Football Focus game grade since 2019 – a year before he joined Carroll and the Seahawks.
It was a limited sample size (25 defensive snaps), but Adams’ game grade of 90.9 was his best since November 10, 2019, when he sacked Daniel Jones twice and recorded nine tackles in a Jets’ 34-27 win over the Giants.
Adams had a relatively modest box score against the Patriots on Sunday, but he got pressure on Drake Maye on two of his four pass rushes and gave up just five yards in coverage on 13 drop backs. He was also credited with three tackles.
Adams has transitioned well to linebacker in his first few months with the Raiders, and it will be interesting to see if the coaching staff tries to find more pass-rushing opportunities for him in the weeks ahead. With Justin Herbert and Jayden Daniels on the schedule in the next two weeks, it might take a player like Adams to slow down two of the top quarterbacks in the league.
On a potentially related note, veteran linebacker Elandon Roberts suffered a sprained elbow on Sunday, so Adams could figure into the lineup more in the weeks ahead if Roberts is forced to miss time.
x: @raidersbeat