Carroll says Adams is ‘the real deal’

RENTON, Wash. — One of the first things Pete Carroll noticed when the Seattle Seahawks finally held their first training camp practice Wednesday was the lack of the noise that in the past has come from a hillside full of fans.

Something else Carroll quickly noticed was how much he’s come to like seeing strong safety Jamal Adams in a Seahawks uniform.

“He brings a smile to my face,” Carroll said. “He’s really sharp. He’s really competitive in that he really cares, he really wants to know all the details. He wants to be corrected, he wants to be helped, he wants to be taught and coached and all that. He’s got a unique focus that some great players we’ve had really demonstrated. I just know that he’s the real deal.”

It was heady praise for Adams from his new head coach after the 24-year-old All-Pro became the centerpiece of Seattle’s offseason moves when the Seahawks traded two future first-round picks to get him from the Jets. His first couple of weeks in Seattle have been about learning the defensive systems while Carroll and his staff have started devising different ways to use Adams.

“He has really high expectations for what he’s going to bring to the team and how he’s going to help out, but he also has a really cool thought about it and approach about it that he knows he has to earn it every step of the way. It’s a great combination,” Carroll said.

The Seahawks will potentially have another new face in the secondary joining Adams in the coming days. Carroll said Quinton Dunbar is in the final stages of his intake testing and is tentatively scheduled to undergo his physical Friday. If all goes well, Dunbar could be on the field as early as Sunday.

Dunbar was removed from the commissioner’s exempt list after authorities in Florida decided not to prosecute Dunbar on armed robbery charges due to insufficient evidence.

“He just adds to the competition, should make us better,” Carroll said. “It’s going to put the pressure on our guys to step up once he gets going. He’s a ways behind because he’s missing this time and we need to make sure he’s in good shape and get him started well.”

Another surprise for Seattle was the health of veteran linebacker K.J. Wright, who underwent offseason shoulder surgery. Carroll said the team was ready to start Wright on the physically unable to perform list to give him additional recovery time, but Wright passed his physical.

The practice Wednesday was light for Seattle with the offense and defense staying on separate fields. Carroll said there will be another light practice day before the intensity ramps up Friday.

The first day Seattle can practice in pads is Monday.

“It seems like it’s taken a long time to get to this. We’ve been here for quite a while,” Carroll said. “But everybody has contributed really well. Everyone is really happy about it. The work we did in the offseason with all the virtual learning we did has really benefited us because we’re still in that mode now and our guys are doing quite well.”

NOTES: WR John Ursua was removed from the COVID/reserve list and was able to practice Wednesday. Ursua had a false positive but recorded subsequent negative tests, allowing him to rejoin the team. ... RB Chris Carson was away from the team dealing with a family matter, Carroll said. He was unsure when Carson was expected to return. ... Rookie DE Darrell Taylor started the season on the non-football injury list. Carroll said there was a residual issue from the surgery to repair a leg injury he played through last season at Tennessee.