Bradley McDougald is still looking for some recognition despite making plays everywhere he’s gone.
While the Jets’ new safety isn’t a household name like the player he was traded for, he still put up respectable numbers in Tampa Bay and Seattle. He’s not a superstar like Jamal Adams, but McDougald thinks his play has at least warranted some more recognition.
“I’m hungry, I’ve always been hungry, I’ve got a chip on my shoulder that’s never left,” McDougald said in an interview with the team’s website. “I’ve had success other places, but I still feel like I’m one of the most slept on safeties in the league.”
Before McDougald replaced Adams, he had to help replace Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas in Seattle’s Legion of Boom. Over time, he quietly became one of the best man-coverage safeties in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, McDougald’s 85.4 man coverage grade ranks fourth among safeties who have played at least 100 snaps of man coverage over the past two years.
In 2019, McDougald started 14 games, recording 70 tackles, six passes defended, two interceptions and one forced fumble.
Even though the Jets lost a player of Adams’ caliber, in McDougald, they’re getting a respectable box safety who can contribute immediately in Gregg Williams’ defensive scheme. At the same time, Gang Green is getting a much-needed veteran presence with the loss of Adams and the recent opt-out of C.J. Mosley.
“I’m not only a good player, but I’m a good guy in the locker room,” McDougald said. “I like to motivate those people around me. I’m really the type of person to let my play do all the talking, but since this is my first time meeting them, it’s gonna be a while before we strap on the pads and we actually get to go out there and line up. I just wanted them to know that they got a good guy coming, that’s hardworking and [humble], but I know the value I can bring to the team.”
