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What a crazy journey it has been for Adrian Amos so far through three years with the Chicago Bears.
After being a fifth round draft pick in 2015, all Amos did was play well enough to earn a starting job during the preseason. He went on to start all sixteen games as a rookie, and while he didn’t make any splashy plays, he had a nice year that was capped by being named to a few All Rookie teams.
In 2016, Amos again played decent, but unspectacular football, starting fourteen of the fifteen games he appeared in. There was a midseason benching that he dealt with, but he persevered and ended up back in the starting lineup.
But the Bears definitely wanted a safety upgrade in 2017.
They struck quickly in free agency and added strong safety Quintin Demps in March, then free safety Eddie Jackson was drafted, and Amos was relegated to the bench. Which is where he stayed until Demps suffered a broken arm in week three.
But since being reinserted into the starting lineup, Amos has played the best football of his career. He finally recorded his first interception, but more importantly he provided a physical presence at the back end of Chicago’s defense.
Pro Football Focus recently named their 2017 All Pro Team, and Adrian Amos made it at safety along with Minnesota’s Harrison Smith.
Here’s what PFF had to say about Amos.
PFF Grade: 92.0
Elite Stat: Among safeties with 30-plus targets in 2017, Amos tied for fourth in yards allowed per snap in coverage (0.47).
Chicago’s Adrian Amos is seen by many as just another guy, but his ability to simply make the plays you expect a safety to make is not to be underestimated. Safeties by their nature are almost contingency players, coming downhill to add to run fits and adding coverage help on the back end to shore up the cornerbacks. Amos notched 26 defensive stops, just two fewer than Smith managed on almost 300 fewer snaps. He may not make as many splash plays as other players at the position, but he makes all the expected plays without making mistakes.
Do I think Amos is an All Pro type of player? No. But he did have had a good year, and there is something to be said for simply doing your job in football.
At 24-years old and entering his contract year, 2018 could be a big year for Amos.