Broncos’ Safety Mike Adams Set To Take On Former Team

Mike Adams (20) warms up before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. (John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports)

Nine year veteran safety Mike Adams spent five seasons with the Cleveland Browns before signing a two-year contract with the Denver Broncos in mid-March.

This week, Adams will get to take on his former team.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Adams said after practice Wednesday. “I still know some guys over there, so it will be fun.”

In fact, Adams has already received plenty of texts from his former teammates this week.

“Absolutely, talking smack,” Adams said. “You have guys talking about they want tickets, they want this. I got them tickets though—in the nosebleeds (laughing).”

Adams is on pace to set a new personal record for tackles in a year. He had 74 tackles with the San Francisco 49ers in 2005, and he has 73 through 14 games this year. He also has 1 sack, 1 safety, 8 passes defended, and 2 forced fumbles on the year.

The Browns are coming to Denver this year as the youngest team in the league with 17 rookies on their active roster. Adams says that this team can’t be taken lightly, however.

“They beat three teams in our division,” Adams said of the Browns’ three wins in the AFC West. “They play hard, that’s one thing I can say about the Browns. The defense, they play hard. Their numbers show it, they get a lot of turnovers; they make a lot of tackles with [LB] D’Qwell Jackson in the middle. [They have] Joe Haden in the corner, an elite corner. They make a lot of plays, so you just can’t take these guys lightly.”

Adams coming to Denver has strengthened the Broncos’ secondary directly and indirectly. Second year safety Rahim Moore has improved dramatically this year thanks in large part to Adams’ arrival.

“It’s been great. He’s helped me out so much,” Moore said of Adams. “It’s funny, because we watch film a lot and we’re so interchangeable. In practice, Mike could do this all week and I’ll do this. But on gameday, it’s like I’ll take his position and he’ll take mine. We have fun, he made me feel comfortable, he simplifies the game for me. I couldn’t ask for anybody else better to play with.”

No. 20 isn’t an easy number to replace in Denver. Brian Dawkins brought three years of leadership, buckets of intensity, and plenty of passion to the Broncos’ secondary. Adams, the new No. 20, knows that the bar is set, and he’s ready surpass it.

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