Seahawks S Quandre Diggs on playing with Jamal Adams: 'I'm excited to line up next to him and go back to work'
One Seattle Seahawks standout knows how important one team member is going forward.
Heading into the 2023 season, the Seattle Seahawks have one thing working in their favor — Jamal Adams will be back.
After sustaining a torn quadricep injury against the Denver Broncos, Adams missed the 2022 season. Fast forward through the season and the early portion of the offseason, and Adams still isn't practicing with the team, but his presence, at least to Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs, is making a difference.
“Having ‘Mal back has been awesome,” Diggs said to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. “It’s different when [No.] 33 is out there, just the energy is a contagious thing that he brings. It’s one of those things that I can’t wait until he’s back out there playing because it’s going to be fun. I know he’s got big goals, which he should. I’m excited to line up next to him and go back to work.”
The Seahawks still do not have a timetable for Adams' return. But he is closer to returning to full football activities than he is to the dog days of rehab.
Seattle traded two first-round picks to the Jets in 2020 for Adams and then signed him to a four-year contract extension averaging around $17.5 million a year. The only problem since that contract extension is that played only 13 games, missing 21, the past two seasons since signing the deal.
That is a problem.
When healthy, Diggs and Adams have been one of the most formidable safety tandems in the entire NFL. In the duo's first season together, Diggs earned his first Pro Bowl selection after leading the team with five interceptions, meanwhile, Adams garnered Second-Team All-Pro honors, breaking the NFL's single-season record with 9.5 sacks as a defensive back.
Since that near-historic season, one of Diggs or Adams has dealt with injuries, unable to play together for long stretches of time.
Having both back and ready to play at the start of the 2023 season is what the Seahawks' defense is banking on. And it is clear that Diggs, who played with Adams before, recognizes how important having a dynamic safety duo is to team success. In more ways than one, Seattle's success is hinging on the production of its defensive backs in 2023.
Feature image via Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports.
