06/04/2007 - Veteran defensive tackle Sam Adams, released by the Cincinnati Bengals early last month, on Monday signed a one-year contract with the Denver Broncos.
Veteran defensive tackle Sam Adams, released by the Cincinnati Bengals early last month, on Monday signed a one-year contract with the Denver Broncos.
Financial details of the contract were not immediately available.The 13-year veteran recently visited with officials and coaches from the St. Louis Rams and Houston Texans, but the Broncos pursued him ardently. Adams, 33, will meet the Broncos' need for a bigger interior presence.Adams is a proven defender versus the run, a mammoth inside presence who regularly commands double-team blocking, and who can engulf offensive linemen. A classic two-gap player, he rarely registers impressive tackle numbers, but his value has never been measured by statistics. By typically occupying two blockers on running downs, he usually allows other defenders to flow to the football.His stay in Cincinnati, where he played only one season of the three-year contract that he signed last spring, was surprisingly short-lived, given his relationship with coach Marvin Lewis. But the Bengals wanted to get younger at defensive tackle and there were some concerns about Adams' health and age.Last summer, Lewis held Adams out of the first several weeks of training camp, keeping him off the field until he was comfortable the veteran tackle had improved his conditioning. Once the season started, however, Adams played and started in all 16 games. For his career, he has demonstrated remarkable durability, missing only 13 games. Adam has never sat out more than four games in a season, and not more than three games since 1999.Adams did have arthroscopic knee surgery shortly after the season ended, in part because he knew he wanted to return for a 14th year, and sources said the Rams were satisfied with his progress in rehabilitation. Although he has struggled at times with weight problems, Adams weighed in the low 340s for the Rams, a manageable number for him.A former Texas A&M star, Adams was a first-round draft choice of the Seattle Seahawks in 1994, the eighth player chosen overall that year. In stints with Seattle (1994-99), Baltimore (2000-2001), Oakland (2002), Buffalo (2003-2005) and Cincinnati (2006), he has appeared in 195 games, with 166 starts, and has registered 452 tackles, 44 sacks, six forced fumbles, five recoveries and 32 pass deflections.Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com.
Veteran defensive tackle Sam Adams, released by the Cincinnati Bengals early last month, on Monday signed a one-year contract with the Denver Broncos.
Financial details of the contract were not immediately available.The 13-year veteran recently visited with officials and coaches from the St. Louis Rams and Houston Texans, but the Broncos pursued him ardently. Adams, 33, will meet the Broncos' need for a bigger interior presence.Adams is a proven defender versus the run, a mammoth inside presence who regularly commands double-team blocking, and who can engulf offensive linemen. A classic two-gap player, he rarely registers impressive tackle numbers, but his value has never been measured by statistics. By typically occupying two blockers on running downs, he usually allows other defenders to flow to the football.His stay in Cincinnati, where he played only one season of the three-year contract that he signed last spring, was surprisingly short-lived, given his relationship with coach Marvin Lewis. But the Bengals wanted to get younger at defensive tackle and there were some concerns about Adams' health and age.Last summer, Lewis held Adams out of the first several weeks of training camp, keeping him off the field until he was comfortable the veteran tackle had improved his conditioning. Once the season started, however, Adams played and started in all 16 games. For his career, he has demonstrated remarkable durability, missing only 13 games. Adam has never sat out more than four games in a season, and not more than three games since 1999.Adams did have arthroscopic knee surgery shortly after the season ended, in part because he knew he wanted to return for a 14th year, and sources said the Rams were satisfied with his progress in rehabilitation. Although he has struggled at times with weight problems, Adams weighed in the low 340s for the Rams, a manageable number for him.A former Texas A&M star, Adams was a first-round draft choice of the Seattle Seahawks in 1994, the eighth player chosen overall that year. In stints with Seattle (1994-99), Baltimore (2000-2001), Oakland (2002), Buffalo (2003-2005) and Cincinnati (2006), he has appeared in 195 games, with 166 starts, and has registered 452 tackles, 44 sacks, six forced fumbles, five recoveries and 32 pass deflections.Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com.