Jamal Adams couldn't walk two years ago without assistance. He couldn't bathe himself. Adams was recovering from a horrendous injury.

Fast forward to Wednesday, the first day of Tennessee Titans preseason practice. It's Adams' chance to prove to himself, the Tennessee Titans organization and general manager Ran Carthon that not only is he now healthy, but he can still play in the NFL.

Adams suffered a torn quad during the 2022 season during a Monday night football game while he was with the Seattle Seahawks.

"I was at the top of the charts, the highest of the highs, the best of the best," said Adams about his life prior to the injury. "And I was at the bottom. Now I'm working myself right back to the top. "It's never easy to come in and learn a new system but I'm willing to. I'm going to have mistakes, I'm not perfect... So when I'm out there and have a mistake or two, I just learn from it and move on."

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Consider this. Adams was the sixth overall pick by the New York Jets in 2017. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2018 and 2019 and was an All-Pro first team member in 2019. Now, he's trying to restart his NFL career.

The Titans signed Adams to a one-year, $1.125 million deal earlier this month. It's considered a prove it deal after recent injuries. It gives Adams a chance to show he can still be one of the top safeties in the NFL.

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Beyond that, Adams is looking forward of leading as one of the veterans on the defensive side of the ball.

"Anything I can do to be a great teammate is what I'm going to do. (Being able) to help guys underneath me. That's what its about," Adams said.

Jamal Adams' injury-riddled past

The 2022 injury left Adams in a cast for nearly 20 weeks. He credits the time as "humbling beginnings," where his focus had to leave the game of football and shift to the game of life.

"Everybody in life is gonna go through adversity," he said. "It's just a matter of when. You're never prepared for it, but at the end of the day you got to attack it," Adams said. "I always knew that I was gonna make it out, I just didn't know when."

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Adams returned from his injury in Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season, but the return was cut short after a knee to the head left Adams diagnosed with a concussion. Adams cleared concussion protocol and returned for the Seahawks in Week 6 and played until Week 14. In all games, Adams claims he wasn't at his best.

"I had to be on Toradol 24/7 just to play," Adams said. "I couldn't be myself. I couldn't cut or be explosive like I wanted to."

Lawrence Goss is The Tennessean's sports intern with the Sports Journalism Institute. Contact Lawrence at lgoss@gannett.com. Follow Lawrence on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @iamlgoss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans safety Jamal Adams to prove he can play after leg injury