Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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General Manager Brian Gutekunst filled the first vacancy in the opening hours of free agency in March, wooing fifth-year veteran Adrian Amos away from the Chicago Bears.
Gutekunst then traded up nine spots to make Savage the first defensive back selected in last month’s NFL Draft, taking the 5-foot-11, 198-pound safety at No. 21 overall.
It’s unusual for rookies to get first-team reps from the outset of the offseason program, but the secondary reset afforded Savage the opportunity to work alongside Amos and the starting defense during this week’s OTAs.
Count Amos among those impressed with what they’ve seen from Savage early on.
“Coming in, he's in his books and about learning,” Amos said. “He seems very coachable. He's taking it all in, and just moving forward. We're grinding and learning the playbook, and he's been great so far.”
Amos can attest to what it’s like to play right away in the NFL. He started all 16 games and led the Bears’ defense with 1,029 snaps as a rookie fifth-round pick out of Penn State in 2015.
As a third-year pro in 2017, Amos also shepherded rookie safety Eddie Jackson. The two developed into one of the premier back-end tandems in the NFL, with Jackson earning a first-team All-Pro nod this past year with 51 tackles, 15 passes defensed and six interceptions.
Amos also had his best statistical season as a pro in 2018, setting new career highs with 73 tackles, nine passes defensed and two interceptions.
At first glance, Savage appears to possess many of the same strengths that have made Jackson successful at free safety, particularly his ball-hawking traits. Savage had seven INTs and two touchdown returns during his final two seasons with the Terrapins.