Adams making bid to shoulder some of OLB load
Their depth has been eradicated with the departure of James Harrison and the decision not to re-sign veteran Arthur Moats.
Adams, a seventh-round pick (248th overall) in 2017, gets his first chance to make a big impression in a game when the Steelers open their preseason Thursday night in Philadelphia against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. And he can’t wait.
Neither can those people who think Adams, who led the Mid-American Conference with 17 tackles for a loss as a senior at Western Michigan, has the potential to be one of the surprises of 2018.
“I’m excited to be back out here,” Adams said. “Being off that year was definitely difficult. I missed the game. Just being back out here, being able to compete, spend the time I missed with my teammates, I’m excited, it’s exhilarating. I’m ready to hop into the season and play that first game.”
Then he added, “It’s been a while, a long time coming. I’m ready for it.”
Adams ( 6 feet 2, 250 pounds) hasn’t played a game of any kind since he appeared in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl for draft-eligible players Jan. 21, 2017. He injured his shoulder last summer in the night practice at Latrobe Stadium and never got back on the practice field. He had surgery, and the Steelers decided to place him on injured reserve, ending his season.
By keeping him around instead of waiving him injured, the Steelers showed a measure of confidence in Adams’ ability. And when they didn’t take an outside linebacker in the draft, even in the later rounds, Adams took that as another sign of faith.
“[Kevin] Colbert came and told me basically you are our seventh-round pick this year,” Adams said on a break at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
“That’s how we treated it, that’s how we’re looking at it. I guess I had good run before I got hurt, I was doing pretty well. I want to come back and hit the ground running and pick up where I left off so they don’t have any doubt and they still have that confidence and assurance in me.”
Adams, though, is not guaranteed one of the backup spots, and he knows it. His biggest competition right now is coming from undrafted rookie Olasunkanmi Adeniyi of Toledo (61, 248), who has opened the eyes of the coaching staff with his toughness and passrush ability. The other candidate is holdover Farrington Huguenin (6-4, 268), who spent last season on the Steelers practice squad.
Which player will make the team as the fourth outside linebacker could come down to their ability to play special teams.
“Even though they did keep me after my shoulder injury and with them not drafting another outside linebacker, you can never take that for granted,” Adams said. “You still got to go out there and earn a job, earn a spot, because nothing is ever promised, especially within this league.
“I definitely try to go out and have fun. It’s the dog days of camp so you can get worn down. If you don’t go out there with the energy and passion that you need to play this game, it can wear you down. You can become mentally drained. I definitely want to go out there upbeat and have all the juice so I can get through.”
And finally get his shot to show something.