Seahawks S Jamal Adams Misses Practice, Out Indefinitely With Hand/Finger Discomfort

Suffering its first notable injury of the season, Seattle may be without one of its best players for a prolonged period of time battling further issues with surgically repaired fingers.

Only two days into training camp, the Seahawks may already be facing the prospects of being without one of their biggest stars for quite some time.

Dropping the bombshell following Thursday's practice, coach Pete Carroll indicated safety Jamal Adams would be away from the team for an indefinite period of time after feeling discomfort in his left hand/fingers. The veteran defender was not present after participating in Seattle's first practice on Wednesday.

"Jamal is going to take some time here to figure it out," Carroll told reporters when asked about Adams' absence.

Now entering his third season with the Seahawks, Adams underwent surgery to fuse two troublesome, frequently dislocated middle and ring fingers on his left hand during the offseason as well as repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. After only participating in walkthroughs in mandatory minicamp in June, he was expected to be fully healthy and ready to go for training camp.

However, according to Carroll, a frustrated Adams told trainers after practice that something "didn't feel right," though it remains unclear whether the problem is related to his fingers or a different issue with his hand altogether. As far as timelines go, Carroll was non-committal on when he would be able to return to action.

When asked about the possibility of additional surgery for Adams, Carroll simply responded, "I don't know that."

Injuries have been a significant problem for Adams since the Seahawks traded two first-round picks and a third-round pick to the Jets to acquire the two-time All-Pro prior to the 2020 season. He missed four games in his first season with a groin injury and played through a torn labrum as well as dislocated fingers in the final month, but he still produced an NFL record 9.5 sacks as a defensive back.

Last season, after undergoing shoulder surgery early in the offseason, Adams played in the first 12 games for Seattle, amassing 87 tackles and two interceptions. But he re-injured his labrum making a hit on San Francisco tight end George Kittle in Week 13, missing the second half of contest before going on season-ending injured reserve.

If Adams is forced to sit out extended time - or potentially undergo another surgery in worst case scenario - the Seahawks will likely turn to either Marquise Blair or Ryan Neal as his replacement at strong safety. The team also has veteran Josh Jones and a quartet of undrafted rookies headlined by Bubba Bolden on the roster.

Blair, a 2019 second-round pick out of Utah, has dealt with his own durability issues, missing all but eight regular season games in the past two seasons due to a torn ACL and fractured knee cap. Neal has been a reliable, versatile super sub filling in for Adams each of the past two seasons, registering 65 tackles, two interceptions, and six pass breakups in 29 games with nine starts.