NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jamal Adams saw joining the Tennessee Titans as a chance to get back to familiar territory.
With his former secondary coach, Dennard Wilson, the defensive coordinator in Tennessee, along with safeties coach Steve Jackson and linebackers coach Frank Bush on the staff, the 2017 first-round pick had a comfort level with the team he signed a one-year contract with last week.
“Obviously, being around Dennard and Jack and Frank Bush and those guys again, it’s almost like home base. Those guys raised me and I’m just grateful to be back,” Adams said Wednesday after the first practice of training camp.
Adams starred earlier in his career with the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks, but came to Tennessee after playing just 10 games combined the previous two seasons after sustaining a torn quadriceps tendon in the 2022 season opener for Seattle.
Adams hopes to prove he can be close to the same player he was before the injury. He said he learned a lot about himself while rehabbing.
“Everybody in life is going to go through adversity. It’s just a matter of when. You’re never prepared for it, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to attack it,” Adams said.
“I knew I was going to make it out. I just didn’t know when. I didn’t know how long the process was going to be. My surgeon was kind of telling me two years, but as competitive as I am, I was going to try to get back in a year or so. I tried to get out there last year. It was tough. I was having to be on Toradol 24-7 just to play. I really couldn’t be myself. I couldn’t cut and be explosive like I wanted to.”
Now, in Tennessee and with coaches who know his style, Adams is in a situation to show the Titans and the league that he can still play at a high level.
“I think the way our deal is structured with him, it’s a prove-it deal for us and a prove-it deal for him,” Titans general manager Ran Carthon said.
“And I know Jamal. I know how he’s interestingly wired. He wants to prove to the world and to everybody that he can stay healthy and still play at a high level.”
Adams, who had a fumble recovery in 7-on-7 drills Wednesday, is eager to prove his worth.
“I was at the top of the chart — the highest of the high, the best of the best. And I was at the bottom, and now I’m working myself right back to the top,” he said.
NOTES: Punter Ryan Stonehouse was able to punt in practice on Wednesday, the first day of camp. Stonehouse suffered a torn ACL and other issues in his left knee when he was hit on Dec. 3 against Indianapolis. He hopes to be ready for the season opener Sept. 8 in Chicago. … Only two players were not seen on the field for the first day of practice. Outside linebacker Harold Landry and guard Daniel Brunskill were not seen on the field. Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie went inside just before the end of the final period on Wednesday.
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