Three-time Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams‘ tenure with the Tennessee Titans ended Thursday on his 29th birthday with his release after the team placed the eight-year veteran on reserve/non-football injury list last weekend.
That roster move came after the Titans (1-4) already had declared Adams out with a hip injury. Adams started one of three games played for Tennessee, and he had just one tackle Sept. 30 in the Titans’ one win at Miami.
The first-round pick in 2017 by the New York Jets signed a one-year deal with Tennessee just before training camp opened in July. He saw joining a defense coordinated by his former Jets secondary coach Dennard Wilson along with safeties coach Steve Jackson and linebackers coach Frank Bush giving him a comfort level. His former fellow Seattle safety Quandre Diggs already was on the Tennessee roster.
Wilson deferred questions Thursday to coach Brian Callahan, who won’t talk to reporters again until Friday, on why Adams didn’t work out there. The Titans used seven starters new to this defense this season in last week’s loss to Indianapolis.
“At this point, wish Jamal the best going forward,” Wilson said. “It just didn’t work out. Going forward, he’ll have success wherever he goes.”
The sixth overall pick out of LSU started every game his first two seasons with the Jets and every game in his career when healthy until this season. Adams lasted only three seasons with the Jets before being traded to the Seahawks in 2020 where he earned his third straight Pro Bowl nod that season.
But he played just 10 games over the past two seasons in Seattle due to injuries.. The Seahawks released him and Diggs in March despite taking on nearly $20 million in dead cap money by not waiting until after June 1.
Diggs has started all five games after signing with Tennessee this offseason alongside Amani Hooker. Asked Wednesday if he had talked with Adams, Diggs said he talks with his friend regularly but declined to comment on what was going on between Adams and the Titans.
“All I could do is be there for my brother, you know?” Diggs said. “I mean, that’s all I can do. That’s all I will do. … Whatever’s going on, you got to stay internal. And, you know, they’ll figure that out.”
The Titans currently have the NFL’s stingiest defense in total yards allowed and against the pass.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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