There is no questioning Jamal Adams’ toughness. Injuries he dealt with during the 2020 season included a hyperextended elbow, dislocated ring and middle fingers, a strained groin and a dislocated shoulder.
Following the season, Adams had two surgeries to resolve lingering issues and be ready for the 2021 season.
Despite the injuries in 2020, Pro-Bowl and 2nd-team All-Pro honors were enough vindication for Seattle to make Jamal Adams the highest paid safety in the NFL. The contract was a four-year, $70 million extension, tying the two together through the 2025 season.
Because he set the single-season sack record for defensive backs (9.5) and was only nine-sacks away from the all-time sack record for the position at 30.5, there was optimism Adams would continue on the strong success of his early seasons. However, 2021 has been a hard pivot.
Through six games Jamal has not recorded a single sack, and has been frequently discussed on the national stage for the start of a tumultuous Seattle season.
The defense has given up on average 433 yards per game, worst in the league, despite the resources allocated to this part of the team.
Jamal may be one piece of the puzzle, but how has he really been so far this season?
The Good
Jamal Adams can still make plays. After Week Six, Adams is third on the Seahawks in total tackles and sixth overall safety for the statistic. He has the ability to close in on the ball fast when he has the opportunity.
When he is not asked to be a pure pass-defender, that’s where he can be most effective. This is how Adams broke the safety single-season sack record, as the Seahawks would line Jamal Adams in the box or at the line-of-scrimmage on blitzes.
Adams blitzed on 104 snaps last season to reach 9.5 sacks. T.J. Watt, who led the NFL with 15 sacks last season, did it on 507 pass-rushing snaps.
The Bad
Although Adams has found success in rushing the passer in years pass, he has not recorded a single sack so far this season.
The Seattle secondary has often looked lost when out on the field, losing receivers in coverage and giving up big game-changing plays in crucial games.
Adams pass coverage has been well documented, but for the wrong reasons. He often gets mismatched with strong powerful tight ends…
Or finds himself turned around when trying to keep pace with speedy wide receivers.
The Seattle cornerback situation has been atrocious to start the season.  Tre Flowers, the Week One starter, was benched after the Week Three, and was waived by the team following the loss to the Rams in Week Five.
The player who assumed his position was Sidney Jones, who Seattle traded a sixth-round pick for at the end of the preseason. Jones has been having a rough time too…
The craziest thing is the core of the defense and secondary returned from 2020. However Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and Head Coach Pete Carrol have not done enough to fix the issues that have persisted.
Seattle is ranked 22nd in the league and tied with five other teams for total sacks, only 11 in six games. The team has only created six turnovers, ranked 19th in the league and tied with seven other teams.
It gets worse when we look at interceptions, the team has only picked off opposing quarterbacks twice. This leads us into…
The Ugly
The last time Jamal Adams recorded an interception was September 22^nd, 2019. However, when you get layups like this it is hard not to yell at the TV.
There was also a lot of talk around Jamal’s intro to the game as he described himself as the “best in the nation.”
There was a lot of confusion Sunday night after this was shown on the broadcast as both his and Seattle’s play has not lived up to the “best in the nation.” Furthering the debate on Twitter was the PFF rank, that placed him 62nd of 85 qualified NFL safeties, being displayed on the screen next to his name.
Following the game, reports that this was a tribute to a former college and NFL player Trabis Ward who was shot and killed last year began to circulate.
Once fans put the pieces together, the heat Jamal was receiving died down.  
It was strange to watch this play out, and would have been better received in the moment if Jamal had a decent game against the Steelers. The pass that bounced off Adams’ helmet led to a Pittsburgh field goal with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter. There was drama to end the game, as there always is when Seattle plays in primetime, as the Seahawks tied the game as time expired.
The Steelers went on to win, but Adams could have changed the outcome of the game if he had put his hands up.
The tribute to a former player Ward was impactful to those in his circle. However, if you are going to draw that kind of attention to yourself on a national stage, you need to have your play on the field back up the claim in the moment.
Seattle’s outlook for the rest of the season would have looked better had the play been made. With the team missing Russell Wilson for a few more weeks, and the option to tank not being available for Seattle as their 2022 first-round pick is owned by Jamal’s former team the Jets, every win matters more in a very competitive NFC West.
With a rather healthy, fresh off their bye week Saints heading into Seattle for Monday Night Football, prospects for the 2-4 Seahawks are not looking good. 
There is a definite need for players like Jamal Adams to step up in Seattle.