Getty Seahawks safter Quandre Diggs (L), head coach Pete Carroll and Jamal Adams (R) at Lumen Field on September 12, 2022.
The Seattle Seahawks kicked off their first day of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, June 6, and while everyone on the roster was in attendance, not every player could participate.
The Seahawks’ $70 million safety, Jamal Adams, is still recovering from a quadriceps tear suffered in Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season. While Adams continued his rehab in Texas during voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) last month, he was back in Seattle to watch practice from the sidelines on Tuesday, which made Pro Bowl safety Quandre Diggs very happy.
Jamal Adams talking with Bobby Wagner and Quandre Diggs as Seahawks begin mandatory minicamp.
Adam’s still rehabbing from torn quad tendon @thenewstribune
“Having ‘Mal back, it’s been awesome. You guys know our relationship. It’s different when 33’s out there,” Diggs said, per The News Tribune. “It’s just the energy is a contagious thing that he brings. It’s one of those things that I can’t until he’s out there playing playing. It’s going to be fun. I know he has big goals, which he should. I’m excited to line up next to him and go back to work.”
However, the veteran also issued a warning when it comes to Adams’ return, urging everyone to temper their expectations even after the three-time Pro Bwoler is fully cleared to play. Diggs, who suffered a broken fibula and a dislocated ankle in January of the 2022 NFL season, knows from personal experience just how long it took to get back to full strength and effectiveness on the field.
“Just the breaks. As a post safety, you need your breaks. You need to be able to trust your ankle, trust your feet. I don’t think I was at that point,” Diggs said of his initial return. “As much as I worked, I never… I mean, I literally had a month of offseason to get ready for the full season. It was kind of rushed, so I didn’t get to do the drills and things I normally do in the offseason.”
Quandre Diggs Said It Took Nearly the Entire Season to Get Back to 100%
Crazy how much a year change things… Couldn’t cut until a month and a half before the season and still played every snap!
Diggs reflected on his recovery process on Twitter last month, sharing an old workout video of him getting back into shape. He captioned the clip, “Crazy how much a year change things… Couldn’t cut until a month and a half before the season and still played every snap!”
Diggs said on Tuesday that it took a long time for him to get back to his old self. “You always want to feel like yourself, but it definitely it was literally the end of the season where I honestly felt like I could go out and make the plays that I needed to make,” he said, per The AP. “I could just trust that ankle that I can put it in the ground and I could just go and explode.”
Pete Carroll Says Jamal Adams & Jordyn Brooks Want to Be Ready for Training Camp
Brick by brick! #Prez
Addressing the media ahead of the 2023 NFL draft, Carroll gave a major update on the rehab process for Adams and Jordyn Brooks, who suffered an ACL tear in Week 17 against the New York Jets, and was also a spectator at minicamp on Tuesday.
“They’re doing well,” Carroll said. “The progress is being made… They’re very optimistic on their sides, they’re really thinking that they’re going to make it, so we’ll hold a good thought.” As for what “going to make it” meant, Carroll explained, “Making camp. that’s what they’re shooting for. They’re not resigned to the fact that it’s going to take them past that, so they’ve got the right mindset. We’ll see what happens.”
While Carroll is happy with Adams and Brooks’ mindsets, there’s a major difference between what the players think and what the doctors say when it comes to returning to play. There’s a strong chance that Adams, 27, will be ready for camp, but the same can’t be said for Brooks, 25.
The Athletic‘s Mike Dugar wrote, “Adams will be approximately 10 months removed from injury when veterans are required to report to camp. Brooks will be only six months removed from surgery. Carroll intentionally framed the source of his optimism around how the players feel and not necessarily any information being provided by doctors. That’s an important distinction.
“Adams passing a physical in July isn’t completely out of the question,” but “Brooks passing a physical six months after ACL surgery would be unprecedented,” Dugar noted. “Schneider said at the league meetings that Brooks’ timeline is closer to the 11 months it took linebacker Jon Rhattigan to recover from his ACL tear.”