-- A strong defensive line could get even stronger in Green Bay this year with a second-year jump from a not-so-talked-about player.
Montravius Adams, a third-round pick by the Packers in last year's draft, is in the middle of what he -- and everyone else -- is hoping to be a full and healthy training camp.
Adams made it through the offseason program and minicamp in 2017, however, suffered a foot stress fractured on just the second day of training camp that later required surgery.
He may have missed the entire preseason, but in year two, he'll have a chance to redeem himself and show that he can be more than just a bottom-of-the-barrel depth piece for the Packers' defensive line.
"Really, I just want to be able to get on the field and play and just be healthy," Adams told Michael Cohen of The Athletic on Saturday . "Last year was a big letdown for me as a person. I mean, not only do I feel like I let down my team but just myself. That's what really hurt me."
In the Packers' first padded practice of the summer, Adams won three consecutive one-on-one drills, piecing together what may have been his most impressive practice to date.
"Now I'm back. I feel great. I feel like any time the coaches put me in a position, I feel like I can do what I need to do."
New defensive coordinator Mike Pettine specializes in filling the defensive line with big bodies, utilizing heavy-set players to either clog running lanes or generate enough pass rush to push the opposing offensive line backward. Adams, 6-4, 304 pounds, is nothing short of expectations.
The Packers already have Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, Muhammad Wilkerson and Dean Lowry as their projected front-four, but there's no doubt that Adams could find a way to earn himself some snaps with a solid camp and an even better preseason.
"He’s hungry," Daniels said after Saturday's practice . "That’s what you want out of all of your teammates. You want guys that will come in there and compete.
"Being an older guy in the same room as them, you want younger guys to push you with the way that they practice, perform and compete, and I think he’s been bringing that edge and he’s only going to get better. I’m really excited to watch him grow, and you can see him grow each and every day."
The Packers also drafted defensive end James Looney with one of their seventh-round picks in April and signed defensive tackle Joey Mbu in June, so there's far from a shortage of depth anywhere along the defensive front.
Only four practices are under the Packers' belts, so up to this point, any positive news leak should be taken with a grain of salt. But winning one-on-ones and exhibiting speed off the ball in team drills is a promising sign -- potentially of things to come -- for someone with as much to prove as Adams.
"The benefit from being here throughout the season and the offseason, I think he's in much better shape," Coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. "I thought he did some really good things in the first day of pads, but collectively as a football team, we've got a long ways to go.
"He's more comfortable with what we're asking him to do, so I think he's off to a good start."


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