Giants’ Andrew Adams is no longer ‘wet behind the ears’

Andrew Adams is back with the New York Giants. Five seasons after being cut, Adams has a Super Bowl ring and is no longer the “wet behind the ears” kid who came to New York as an undrafted free agent out of Connecticut.

“I would definitely say I’m a better player. I’ve seen pretty much all you can see,” Adams said. “When I first got here I was kinda wet behind the ears. I’m a little seasoned now.”

Indeed he is. Adams is now 29 and in his seventh season. He spent his first two seasons with the Giants, starting 17 of 30 games. The Giants, with first-year coach Pat Shurmur and a new defensive coordinator in James Bettcher, foolishly cut Adams during the 2018 season. They somehow preferred Curtis Riley and Sean Chandler.

Adams landed in Tampa Bay. He spent the last four seasons with the Buccaneers, with a short detour to Philadelphia where he never got in a game for the Eagles. He played in 56 regular-season games with with 18 starts for Tampa Bay. Oh, and he played in six playoff games and won a Super Bowl ring for the 2020 season.

The Buccaneers decided to let him go after the 2021 season. He didn’t immediately find work, landing with the Giants just a few days ago after a tryout held the day before the first practice of camp.

“Feels great. Familiar area. Familiar territory. Familiar building. Just looking to help any way I can. Impress the new staff,” Adams said. “I was kinda excited. I was kinda itching to get back up here.”

The Giants likely added Adams because of concerns about depth and experience at safety. The Giants have Xavier McKinney and Julian Love, but fourth-round pick Dane Belton and undrafted players Trenton Thompson and Yusuf Corker are both rookies. Jarren Williams has never played safety before.

“To add another veteran safety that’s an outstanding kid, he is smart, tough, he’s played ball in the league, and the people that were here before us that have interacted with him spoke very highly of him,” GM Joe Schoen said the first day of training camp. “So, we are happy to add him.”

Adams was appreciative of the fact that veteran Giants staffers spoke up for him.

“It means a lot. Just coming in undrafted and being able to make an impact on that team, and then expanding my career elsewhere,” Adams said. “For them to still speak highly of me that definitely means a lot.”

Adams has a Super Bowl ring, but his experience has taught him to take nothing for granted.

“Honestly, it’s the same. You kinda have to prove yourself every year. I’m not a first-round draft pick, so you have to prove yourself every year like you are an undrafted rookie. That’s just how I approach it,” Adams said. “My role is to help anywhere I can. Whether that’s special teams, whether that’s defense. Either way I can fit in that’s what I’m here to do.”

There is, of course, no guarantee Adams will make the 53-man roster. Somehow, though, having him back with the Giants feels right.