Pete Carroll, Seahawks 'Anxious' to Unleash Myles Adams in Shelby Harris' Absence

RENTON, Wash. - Despite being one of the Seahawks brightest stars during the preseason, Myles Adams has yet to play a regular season snap after being deactivated as a healthy scratch in the team's first two games. But with the Falcons soon to come to town, that's about to change on Sunday.

With veteran defensive tackle Shelby Harris sidelined this week due to a glute injury and personal matters, Adams will finally get a chance to show what he can do with the bullets flying for real when Seattle welcomes Atlanta to Lumen Field on Sunday. Following an outstanding month of August that secured him a spot on the 53-man roster out of camp, count coach Pete Carroll among those eager to see what he will do with the opportunity presented to him.

“I’m really anxious to see him because he was really active," Carroll said in his weekly Friday press conference. "He played the run well, he was in the backfield, and he just was flashy."

Like many undrafted players, Adams has went through plenty of trials and tribulations to stick around in the NFL. Signed initially by the Panthers after a stellar college career at Rice, he didn't make their final roster as a rookie and following a brief stint on the practice squad, he was released and spent several months trying to latch on with another team.

Eventually, the Seahawks came calling in December, signing him to their practice squad for the final month of the 2020 season. Encouraged by what they saw from him, the organization re-signed him to a future/reserve deal in January and while he didn't get over the hump in final roster cuts the following August, he performed well enough to be a priority for the practice squad after being cut.

A benefactor of injuries and positive COVID tests, Adams finally dressed and played in his first NFL regular season games last December. Though the Seahawks lost both contests to the Rams and Bears, the Arlington, Texas native performed well in his first legitimate game action, producing five tackles and a quarterback hit on 33 defensive snaps, earning himself another future/reserve deal in January.

Building on the momentum gained from his first legitimate NFL experience, Adams shined throughout Seattle's offseason program into camp and the preseason, staking his claim to a roster spot. In a trio of exhibition games, he recorded 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits, standing out as one of the team's most improved players on either side of the football and drawing compliments from defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt.

“He has been unbelievable, but that’s not a surprise," Hurtt said on August 24. "Last year, Myles, you could see his development, him come along, and see some things. The rush ability, playing the run game, and he had a chance to play in some games in the latter part of last season, and did a nice job. Myles has had an outstanding camp.”

Preparing to face the Falcons in his first regular season action of the season, while he's similar in size and stature, Adams isn't a natural replacement for Harris from a skill set standpoint and pales in comparison experience-wise. Prior to this season, he had not played many snaps in odd, 3-4 fronts earlier in his football career and he's more of a penetrating defensive tackle than his veteran counterpart.

With that said, though not having Harris available is a significant blow to the defensive line and his leadership will be missed, Adams' quickness and slipperiness should match up well against an athletic Atlanta interior offensive line headlined by right guard Chris Lindstrom and center Drew Dalman. That group, which will be missing left guard Elijah Wilkerson on Sunday, has been stout in pass protection thus far, allowing just four pressures and no quarterback hits or sacks on Marcus Mariota through two games.

After being held out due to a numbers game along the defensive line in the first two weeks, Carroll believes Adams' play style and athletic fluidity could be a perfect fit against this particular opponent. Hoping to see the player once again capitalize on the opportunity presented to him, he's banking on his preseason production translating to the regular season to help Seattle slow down a top-10 ranked run game and turn up the heat on Mariota.

If Adams can make that happen, maybe this time around, his success will lead to a more permanent place in the Seahawks' defensive line rotation moving forward.

"He brings us a little different style of play. His quickness would be a nice addition here and I’m hoping that it will show up and be a factor for us. This offensive line is a really quick offensive line that moves really well. In that regard, Myles does help us and will match up."