Davante Adams expected to make Jets debut Sunday vs. Steelers

Davante Adams isn’t wasting any time before making his New York Jets debut.

The newly acquired star wide receiver is expected to play in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, interim coach Jeff Ulbrich told reporters on Wednesday. Prior to the trade, Adams had missed the previous three games with the Las Vegas Raiders due to a hamstring issue.

In addition to playing on Sunday, Adams will be a full participant at Wednesday’s walk-through practice. Ulbrich doesn’t expect too much of a learning curve for Adams to acclimate to the Jets’ offense.

“That’s a challenge for [offensive playcaller] Todd Downing and the offensive staff and getting him up to speed as fast as possible,” Ulbrich said of Adams’ fit in the offense. “Fortunately, there’s a lot of familiarity with the offense, and it’s been a system that he’s been a part of for years. So, I don’t see it being a huge obstacle getting him going.”

Adams seemed ready to get going with the Jets not long after it was reported that he was traded to New York on Tuesday. He was reportedly in the team’s facility less than an hour after the trade was reported. He even said he was ready when he called into FS1’s “The Facility” on Tuesday morning.

[Related: Bucky Brooks breaks down what Davante Adams brings to Jets]

As Ulbrich mentioned, Adams has some familiar faces in his new home. Of course, he was a long-time teammate of Aaron Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers. The two formed one of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in the NFL over a few seasons, with Adams helping Rodgers win a pair of MVP awards.

Adams also played under Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett for three seasons with the Packers, having three of the best years of his career when Hackett was his offensive coordinator. However, Hackett was recently stripped of his playcalling duties, with that being handed to Downing after the team’s decision to fire head coach Robert Saleh last week. Additionally, Adams will be reunited with former Packers receiver Allen Lazard, who has 354 receiving yards and five touchdowns this season.

There have been questions about the fit between Adams and the Jets’ current top receiver, Garrett Wilson. However, Wilson showed his excitement over the move in a social media post on Tuesday. 

Ulbrich is also excited about what the Jets can do with their wide receivers.

“It’s a really cool problem to have,” Ulbrich said of the Jets’ wide receivers. “It’s going to give us an opportunity to have more flexibility with where we move these guys around. Sometimes it’ll be based upon the route concepts. Sometimes the matchups. But it gives us a lot of freedom to play around with where these guys line[up].”

The Jets’ “really cool problem” will have a pretty tough first test. The Steelers are eighth in overall defense and second in scoring defense through the first six weeks, helping them go 4-2 to open the year. 

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