Tony Adams listed as a starter on the NY Jets unofficial depth chart

The NY Jets released their first unofficial depth chart of the summer on Sunday, and while there weren't many notable surprises, one player who caught many people's eyes was safety Tony Adams.

That's because Adams, a 2022 undrafted free agent, was listed alongside Jordan Whitehead as one of the Jets' starting safeties. Adams was ahead of free-agent addition Adrian Amos and others such as Ashtyn Davis and rookie Jarrick Bernard-Converse.

Most assumed that Amos would fill a starting role when he was signed last month following an injury to Chuck Clark, but it seems as though Adams has a legitimate shot to earn the starting job.

It should be noted that unofficial depth charts tend to favor returning players. Rookies and recent free-agent additions typically don't get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to early depth charts.

Still, Adams has impressed this summer and could very well be the Jets' Week 1 starter opposite Whitehead.

Tony Adams could win the NY Jets' free safety job this summer

Signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft, most didn't think much of Adams in his first summer with the team. He wasn't your typical training camp darling, and it came as a pretty significant surprise when he made the Jets' initial 53-man roster.

Adams mostly played a part-time role as a rookie, playing just two defensive snaps over the first 12 weeks of the season. The Illinois product did receive more opportunities as the year went on, however, including significant playing time in the final two games of the season.

Adams played well, too, putting together impressive performances against both the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins. The Jets love Adams and seem to believe he could develop into a future starter for the team.

The plan was to start the returning Whitehead alongside Clark prior to the latter's season-ending injury. Amos was signed to be Clark's replacement, but the Jets clearly believe Adams could push for the starting job. He's been running with the first-team defense a lot this summer.

While it's never wise to put too much stock into late-July unofficial depth charts, Tony Adams does have an opportunity to win a starting job this summer. That much has been made clear.