Tag: D.J. Reed

The best bargains of the NFL’s 2022 free agency class (so far)

With most of the 2022 NFL free-agent class signed, here are the best player bargains so far.

Two reasons for the Cincinnati Bengals’ ascent from 4-11-1 in 2020 to AFC champs and near-Super Bowl LVI winners in 2021 were the wise free-agent signings of former Saints pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson and ex-Cowboys cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. In replacing Carl Lawson and William Jackson III, Hendrickson and Awuzie became immediate force multipliers on a defense that rose from 27th in DVOA in 2020 to 19th in 2021. Both Hendrickson and Awuzie defined their positions in that defense all the way through.

When going into free agency every season, every NFL team is looking for those types of bargains — Hendrickson on a four-year, $60 million deal with $16 million guaranteed, and Awuzie on a three-year, $21.75 million contract with $7.5 million guaranteed.

Here are the best potential bargains in the 2022 free agency slate so far — potential impact players who signed deals that may not reflect their value on the field, but certainly provide optimal value to their teams.

5 things to know about new Jets CB D.J. Reed

Get to know D.J. Reed, the Jets’ newest starting cornerback.

Joe Douglas addressed the Jets’ need for a cornerback during the first week of free agency, signing D.J. Reed to a three-year deal.

Reed came into his own with the Seahawks over the last two seasons and profiles as an instant impact player in New York’s secondary. Seattle’s secondary wasn’t necessarily star-studded in 2021, but Reed was an above-average contributor throughout the year and has what it takes to help the Jets right off the bat.

Here are five things to know about Gang Green’s newest cornerback.

Jets CB D.J. Reed says he ‘felt disrespected’ by offer from Seahawks

Now, Reed says he felt disrespected by the offer from the Seahawks.

From Golden Tate all the way down to the present day, the Seahawks front office has made a history of making low-ball offers to their fringe-core players and then watching them sign with other teams.

Cornerback D.J. Reed became the latest victim of Pete Carroll and John Schneider’s penchant for playing hardball at the negotiating table. After performing extremely well at right cornerback for the 2021 season, Reed should have earned himself a long-term contract and starting job in Seattle. Instead, he wound up signing with the Jets on a perfectly-reasonable deal averaging $11 million a year.

Now, Reed says he felt disrespected by the offer from the Seahawks.

The NFL is a hard business and you’ll find similar tales from every team. That said, it’s disappointing they couldn’t find room to re-sign Reed but did manage to give backup tight end Will Dissly a new deal that averages $8 million per year.

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How the New York Jets are absolutely crushing it in free agency

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas and his staff are hitting 2022 free agency with a series of big wins. Here’s why it’s such a great haul.

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas was asked a common question at the scouting combine: How aggressive will his team be in free agency?

“I would say, there’s a lot of different avenues, a lot of different tools to improve your roster,” Douglas said earlier this month. “Free agency is one of those tools. And so, I think we have a good opportunity. We have assets that we’ve acquired and we have financial flexibility. So again, there’s a lot of conversations that need to be had in the next coming days and weeks before this kicks off. But we’re gonna get this team better, any avenue we can.”

So far, the Jets have had hit after hit, at least when projecting these players to their new homes. In the comprehensive list of free agents put together by myself and Mark Schofield, Gang Green’s five signings to date — tight end C.J. Uzomah, guard Laken Tomlinson, cornerback D.J. Reed, safety Jordan Whitehead, and edge-rusher Jacob Martin — all got grades of at least A-, and there are three A+ marks on the list, which is the most for any team so far.

It’s obviously important for a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2015, and hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010 — back in the Rex Ryan days.

Let’s take a look at each of these new Jets players, why they’re such great signings, and how they fit into what Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh and his staff wish to achieve in 2022…. and beyond.

5 takeaways from Jets’ D.J. Reed signing

The Jets are adding an impact cornerback in D.J. Reed. What the move means for New York’s secondary:

The Jets entered free agency in need of an impact addition at cornerback. Bryce Hall took a step forward in 2021 and Michael Carter II and Brandin Echols showed promise as rookies, but setting out to find an impact veteran at the position was high on the priority list.

Joe Douglas took care of business on the second day of free agency, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal with former Seahawks cornerback D.J. Reed. Seattle’s secondary wasn’t necessarily star-studded in 2021, but Reed was an above-average contributor throughout the year and has what it takes to help the Jets right off the bat.

Here are five takeaways from New York’s deal with Reed.

Seahawks signing former Steelers, Bears CB Artie Burns to one-year deal

According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, the Seahawks are signing former Steelers and Bears cornerback Artie Burns to a one-year deal worth $2 million.

According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, the Seahawks are signing former Steelers and Bears cornerback Artie Burns to a one-year deal worth $2 million.

Burns was a first-round pick by Pittsburgh in the 2016 NFL draft but has never come close to living up to that status. In 69 games he’s only totaled four interceptions and 33 pass breakups. Coverage has been an issue for Burns throughout his pro career. Over the last three seasons he’s allowed a passer rating of 115 or higher.

For just $2 million, we can safely assume Burns won’t be part of the starting DB rotation. Expect him to be a backup on the outside along with Sidney Jones, who just re-upped on a very reasonable deal.

However, the Seahawks will need to find a suitable replacement for their immensely underrated starting right cornerback D.J. Reed, who’s agreed to terms with the Jets on a three-year, $33 million contract.

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D.J. Reed joining Jets could be costly blow for Seahawks defense

Our friends at Touchdown Wire gave them an A+ grade for the signing.

The Seahawks still haven’t agreed to terms with any outside free agents heading into the first official day of the new league year. Perhaps it’s tough to sell potential signees on a winning vision when you just got rid of your two most important players and have a reputation for disrespecting every single one of your franchise legends on their way out the door.

Whatever the case, it’s been a quiet couple of days on the free agent front for Seattle and what little news there’s been has mostly been bad outside of bringing back free safety Quandre Diggs. Thus far their biggest loss is cornerback D.J. Reed, who was their highest-graded starting defender by PFF last season. He’s agreed to a three-year, $33 million deal with the team that shall not be named that Jamal Adams came from.

Our friends at Touchdown Wire gave them an A+ grade for the signing.

“So, Saleh and the Jets absolutely stole former Seattle cornerback D.J. Reed on a three-year, $33 million contract. That’s chump change for a guy who can come in and be the team’s top cornerback right away, and Saleh is familiar with Reed from his San Francisco days.”

Allowing Reed to walk doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for a team that just went through a major cornerback turnover just before last season began. Reed had more than established himself as a worthy long-term starter and while it may not be ideal $11 million per year is a perfectly reasonable number to keep him around.

Instead, the Seahawks will now likely use one of their early-round draft picks trying to find a replacement for Reed – perhaps as early as the No. 9 overall selection. In our most-recent seven-round mock draft we have them taking Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner with that pick.

Whatever their reasoning, Pete Carroll and John Schneider certainly have some explaining to do. The media is scheduled to hear from them at 2:30 p.m. today Pacific Time. Hopefully they’ll have something to show by then.

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2022 NFL free agency: Jets to sign CB D.J. Reed

The Jets are upgrading their secondary with former Seahawks and 49ers cornerback D.J. Reed.

Former Seahawks and 49ers cornerback D.J. Reed plans to sign with the Jets, according to The Athletic’s Connor Hughes.

The deal will be a three-year, $33 million pact, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It’s unclear how much guaranteed money the Jets plan to give Reed, but USA Today’s Josina Anderson reported those details are still being worked out.

Reed, 25, played in Pete Carroll’s defense in Seattle the past two seasons after starting his NFL career in Robert Saleh’s 49ers defense from 2018-2019. The former fifth-round pick finished the 2021 season with the eighth-best Pro Football Focus grade at 78.6. He’s also an exceptional run defender with an 85.8 PFF grade, which ranked fourth in the league in 2021.

Although Reed isn’t a big cornerback – he’s listed at 5-foot-9 and 193 pounds – he played primarily on the outside for Seattle and is great in zone coverage. He finished with two interceptions each of the past two seasons and also tallied 78 combined tackles in 2021, his first year as a full-time starter.

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Seahawks cornerback D.J. Reed to sign with New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks free-agent cornerback D.J. Reed is set to sign with the New York Jets on a three-year deal.

Just days after securing one starting member of the secondary in Quandre Diggs, the Seattle Seahawks are losing another. Cornerback D.J. Reed will be signing with the New York Jets, according to Connor Hughes of the Athletic.

Per Tom Peliserro of the NFL Network, the deal is for three years, $33 million deal with upside.

Reed, 25, entered the league when he was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft out of Kansas State. He played for two years in San Francisco before he was waived in August 2020 with a non-football injury designation. He was then claimed by the Seahawks off of waivers the following day.

Starting 14 games of 14 games played last season, Reed logged 64 tackles, 10 passes defensed and two interceptions on the year.

You can find the latest on all the Seahawks’ moves in free agency on our live tracker below.

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4 cornerbacks the Patriots can add to replace J.C. Jackson

The options are slim, but here potential replacements for J.C. Jackson in New England.

The departure of J.C. Jackson leaves a huge hole in the New England Patriots’ defense.

Bill Belichick went from Stephon Gilmore and Jackson anchoring the secondary to Jalen Mills as the top option. Jackson joined the Los Angeles Chargers on a five-year, $82.5 million contract — money the Patriots simply don’t have to spend.

Money is currently the issue. The Patriots spent a ton on players in free agency last offseason and there isn’t much leftover, especially with the task of re-signing veterans like Devin McCourty, Matt Slater, Nick Folk and Brian Hoyer.

The Patriots’ depth at the cornerback position currently consists of Mills, Jonathan Jones, Myles Bryant, Joejuan Williams and Shaun Wade. Let’s take a dive into cheaper options at cornerback that New England can consider.

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