The Las Vegas Raiders brought in a new regime in January, and it only took one offseason for them to leave their fingerprints all over the roster. This Raiders team already has so many new faces from free agency, the NFL Draft, the waiver wire and through trades with other teams.
Among the big names initially brought in were Geno Smith, Ashton Jeanty, Raheem Mostert and Devin White, but the Raiders kept tinkering with the roster throughout OTAs, minicamp, training camp and the preseason.
One move that came under a lot of fire was the late addition of Jamal Adams, who was signed on the eve of training camp. After an initial freakout, however, Raider Nation settled into the idea that he could have success if he transitioned from safety to outside linebacker like Carroll wanted.
Jamal Adams continues to shine in Raiders regular season debut
Adams was a revelation in the preseason, as he dominated against the run for the Las Vegas defense and was a bullet on blitzes. But fans were well aware that he was going up against primarily backups and wanted this level of play to hold in the regular season.
After one week, it's safe to say that it will. On Sunday against the New England Patriots, Adams played a solid role in the Raiders' 20-13 win. Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 90.9, which is an elite mark and was the 10th-highest among all defenders in the NFL in Week 1.
His stats did not necessarily jump off the page, as he recorded just three tackles in the contest. But he was stout in every facet of the game, giving up just one reception for five yards, recording a quarterback hit and a hurry and not getting penalized.
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He also demonstrated his versatility in Week 1, as he lined up all over the field for Patrick Graham's defense. If the unit can disguise Adams' responsibilities on each play, then it will definitely confuse opposing offenses this season.
Adams only played 25 of a possible 71 snaps against the Patriots, but that is fine. At his age, he is perhaps better as a supplementary piece, and the defense did its thing on Sunday against New England.
While the addition of Adams was once met with apprehension, it now seems like a major steal for Carroll and John Spytek.