Tag: D.J. Reed

6 Seahawks make Pete Prisco’s list of top 100 potential free agents

Six Seattle Seahawks players landed on CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco’s list of his top 100 potential free agents ahead of the new league year.

The official start of the new league year and free agency is finally under a week away and analysts are scurrying to put together their lists of the best available free agents.

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports has released his top 100 potential free agents and six Seattle Seahawks made the list.

Below are the six players with Prisco’s thoughts on the matter.

S Quandre Diggs No. 16: “A lot of teams are looking for a guy who can play the middle of the field, and Diggs is that guy. Even as teams move to more split-safety looks, he fits in any scheme. He has the range you like since he’s a former corner.”

LB Bobby Wagner No. 19: “The Seahawks released him Tuesday because he’s getting up in the years and they are in rebuild mode. He isn’t the same player he was a few years ago, but he can still help a team with his smarts in the middle of a defense.”

OT Duane Brown No. 27: “Age is becoming an issue for him at 36, but he is coming off another solid season. He excels in pass protection on the left side, which gives him value on this market, even at his age.”

CB D.J. Reed No. 37: “He is a smallish corner at 5-9, but he is feisty and will battle. He has fit playing in Seattle’s zone scheme, but his height might hurt him on the outside as a man player.”

RB Rashaad Penny No. 86: “He finished 2021 looking like one of the best runners in the league. After dealing with a bunch of injuries in his career, he finally looked like the first-round pick he was for Seattle. But the injury history has to be a concern.”

TE Gerald Everett No. 88: “In his one season with the Seahawks, he caught 48 passes with four touchdowns. He turns 28 this summer, so there is still a lot of good football left in him. He doesn’t provide much as a blocker, but he can create opportunities in the passing game.”

The legal tampering period ahead of the start of free agency kicks off on March 14 at 9:00 a.m. PT.

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Texans could use CB D.J. Reed to bolster secondary

The Houston Texans could get a decent free agent cornerback if they signed D.J. Reed.

The Houston Texans are reworking their roster as they seek to turn the corner under the first year of coach Lovie Smith.

In order to make strides in the second year of Smith’s Tampa 2 defense, the Texans will need some cornerback help, especially since they have decided to move on from Terrance Mitchell.

According to Ben Linsey from Pro Football Focus, one free agent cornerback who would fit in well with what Smith is trying to do is the Seattle Seahawks’ D.J. Reed

The Texans are still far from meaningfully competing, but it would be surprising if they ran back their 2021 offseason strategy of volume signing low-ceiling veterans to short-term deals. Reed, 25, stands out as a potential long-term starting option at one of Houston’s bigger needs after two consecutive seasons with 75.0-plus PFF grades in Seattle. His physicality in run support and willingness as a tackler are both big positives when looking at his potential 2022 scheme fit in Lovie Smith’s defense.

Reed generated 78 combined tackles, picked off two passes, batted away 10 others, and recovered a fumble.

Although Reed is 5-9, 193 pounds, not exactly the ideal of a lengthy cornerback, he does make up for it with his physicality, which is ultimately what Smith wants to see out of his defensive backs.

“To me the object of the defense is every snap is to score and take the ball away,” Smith told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on March 2. “We put a big emphasis on that, but we won’t try to bring anyone in, add them to our mix if they don’t like to tackle. We ask our corners to tackle. They have ball skills of course, but it still comes down to whether you can play man coverage a lot. That’s a hard guy to find that I’m talking about.”

Reed would meet that objective.

5 free agent CBs the Colts should consider in 2022

Here are five CBs the Indianapolis Colts should consider in free agency for 2022.

The Indianapolis Colts are set up pretty nicely when it comes to the cornerback room, but it still wouldn’t hurt to add some depth in free agency during the 2022 offseason.

Though they shouldn’t be expected to splurge at the position when the middle of March rolls around, having four solid cornerbacks would go a long way for the defense. The priority is the pass rush, and that should take precedence over everything.

But with a young, developing cornerback room working under Ron Milus, the Colts should be relatively active in free agency when it comes to adding an upside veteran to work in the rotation.

We shouldn’t expect the Colts to be in on players like J.C. Jackson, Stephon Gimore or even Carlton Davis. Their talent certainly warrants a place on this list and they would make the defense better but we’re also trying to be realistic.

If we’ve learned anything from the last four offseasons, Chris Ballard doesn’t go after the top-tier free agents.

Here are five cornerbacks the Colts should consider in 2022 free agency:

Be sure to check out our free agency pieces on other positions!

  • Offensive Tackle (link)
  • Tight End (link)
  • Defensive End (link)

John Schneider doesn’t know yet if Seahawks will use franchise tag in 2022

To prevent one of them from leaving to sign with another team, they may have to resort to using the franchise tag.

The Seattle Seahawks have several important players that are about to become free agents in two weeks. To prevent one of them from leaving to sign with another team, they may have to resort to using the franchise tag.

General manager John Schneider told reporters today he doesn’t know yet if the team will do so this year.

The best candidates to get a franchise tag from Seattle this year include free safety Quandre Diggs, cornerback D.J. Reed and left tackle Duane Brown, all of whom coach Pete Carroll says the team wants to re-sign.

Running back Rashaad Penny is another possibility and Carroll admitted that it may be a challenge to keep him given how well he played down the stretch of the 2021 season.

Penny ran for 749 yards and scored six touchdowns despite not getting significant playing time until Week 12 when Chris Carson and Alex Collins were both out.

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1 pending free agent Chargers should target: NFC West Edition

Listing one free agent from each team in the NFC West that could be a good fit for the Chargers.

The Chargers are set to enter free agency with the most salary cap available since Tom Telesco took over as general manager in 2013.

Even though the franchise has some in-house players that will need to get paid, there’s a great chance that Telesco and company will be aggressive in signing other soon-to-be free agents to bolster its roster.

With that being said, we are going to list one pending free agent from each team in the NFL that could be a realistic target for L.A.

Next up is the NFC West.

DT Sebastian Joseph-Day, Rams

Joseph-Day is familiar with head coach Brandon Staley, making this an intriguing pairing. When Staley oversaw the Rams’ top-ranked defense, he had a career-high 33 run stops, two passes defended, and a forced fumble. He was on his way to surpassing those, but an unfortunate torn pectoral sustained in Week 7 kept him out. Still, with a combination of speed, power, and violent hands, Joseph-Day can win one-on-one matchups and eat-up blockers to let his fellow teammates roam freely that the Chargers could greatly benefit from. Further, according to Pro Football Focus, Joseph-Day led the league in run-stop percentage among interior defenders in 2021.

DT D.J. Jones, 49ers

En route to San Francisco’s playoff run, Jones proved to be a staple that flew under the radar after he was re-signed on a one-year prove-it deal last offseason. The definition of a no-nonsense-penetrator, Jones lives in opposing backfields. Money as a run defender, he had 40 stops on the regular season and had 14 tackles for loss or no gain in 2021, which were second to only Aaron Donald among all interior defenders despite playing roughly half as many snaps as him. But in addition, he provides value as a pass rusher, with 16 pressures, marking a career-high.

WR Christian Kirk, Cardinals

All eyes are set on Mike Williams and whether or not he will be in a Chargers uniform in 2022. But no matter what Williams’ future holds, Los Angeles needs to add an asset capable of stretching the field. Kirk is a smooth and dependable receiver with the speed and vertical ability who’s coming off a career year, catching 77 passes for 982 yards and five touchdowns. Further, Kirk recorded a 97.0 receiving grade when targeted receiver on deep throws (throws of 20-plus air yards). This would allow Justin Herbert to use his big arm to uncork it more often.

CB D.J. Reed, Seahawks

The Chargers will be looking to upgrade their cornerback room, with Chris Harris Jr.’s tenure likely at an end and it’s lacking quality talent aside from Michael Davis and Asante Samuel Jr. While undersized at 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, Reed showed to handle his duties on the outside at a high level. Reed allowed a passer rating of 66.0 from the 68 targets thrown into his coverage, with only 51.5% of those throws caught by their intended target. While the majority of his playing time came near the boundary, Reed also possesses the versatility to play safety and in the slot, giving Brandon Staley the flexibility to move him around in his ever-revolving secondary.

Seahawks open negotiations with FS Quandre Diggs on a new contract

At the top of the list has to be free safety Quandre Diggs, who has become their best ballhawk by a mile and one of their most critical defensive pieces.

The Seahawks have a lot of pending free agents to re-sign if they plan to run it back with the same group in 2022. At the top of the list has to be free safety Quandre Diggs, who is their best ballhawk by several leagues and one of their most critical pieces on defense.

According to a report by Corbin Smith at Sports Illustrated, no deal is imminent but the team has opened negotiations with Diggs.

Diggs will be a popular name when it comes to potential franchise tag candidates, but using it on him might send the wrong message to a team that rallied around him following his devastating leg injury to end the season. Teams have until March 8 to designate players for a tag.

Seattle has only used the franchise tag twice so far in the Pete Carroll era – on kicker Olindo Mare in 2010 and defensive end Frank Clark (2019).

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Quandre Diggs could be the 1 free agent Seahawks must keep on roster

Free safety Quandre Diggs could be the one free agent the Seattle Seahawks must keep on their roster heading into the new league year.

The start of the new league year and NFL free agency kick off in just under a month and analysts and teams are cramming to put together their lists of the best available players.

Over at NFL.com, senior analyst Gil Brandt took a look at every team and picked one potential free agent each club needs to keep on its roster. For the Seahawks, it’s free safety Quandre Diggs.

“If Russell Wilson stays in Seattle, Pete Carroll and John Schneider will be under pressure to produce a winning roster after a disappointing 7-10 finish,” Brandt starts. “Bringing Diggs back would be one of the more straightforward moves they could make in that effort. Since being traded to Seattle in 2019, Diggs has piled up 13 interceptions and 20 passes defensed.”

“There are multiple defensive backs hitting the market, and an argument could be made for inking cornerback D.J. Reed, who broke out in his first season as a full-time starter in Year 4 and bested Diggs in catch rate over expectation (-11.9 for Reed, -0.3% for Diggs),” Brandt continues. “But if I had to choose, I’d go with the more proven Diggs, even with the caveat that he’s coming off a broken fibula and dislocated ankle suffered in Week 18.”

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Seahawks Diggs, Reed among CBS Sports’ best defensive free agents

Two Seattle Seahawks have made the CBS Sports list of best defensive free agents of 2022 – safety Quandre Diggs and cornerback D.J. Reed.

NFL teams are now moving full-speed ahead towards free agency – looking at both their own rosters and others around the league for the best possible players.

Before the new league year officially kicks off, Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports took a look at the top 25 defensive players who could become available this March.

Two Seahawks made the list – safety Quandre Diggs at No. 18 and cornerback D.J. Reed at No. 20.

“Diggs has put together back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons and, similar to Jackson who we mentioned earlier on this list, simply has a knack for creating turnovers,” Sullivan writes. “The safety has 10 interceptions over the last two seasons and just put together a 2021 season where he notched a career-high 94 tackles. He also is only on record for giving up one touchdown last season and opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of just 63.4 when throwing in his direction.”

As for Reed, Sullivan had this to say . . .

“Reed is coming off a career year in 2021,” Sullivan notes. “The former fifth-round pick totaled a career-best 10 pass breakups to go along with two interceptions last season, while holding opposing quarterbacks to just a 47.7 completion percentage when targeted. Since ascending to a starter in Seattle’s secondary, there isn’t much to pick at in Reed’s game as he plays physical and is also solid against the run. The one knock is his size as he is just 5-foot-9, which could leave him exposed to bigger receivers.”

The 2022 new league year officially kicks off on Wednesday, March 16.

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Seahawks have 3 names on PFF’s list of the top 101 players of 2021 season

The Seahawks’ roster is talented but it’s also a bit top heavy.

The Seahawks’ roster is talented but it’s also a bit top heavy. If their core five foundation players aren’t firing on all cylinders, it’s tough for them to compete with real contenders. We have more evidence of that imbalance thanks to a new ranking from Pro Football Focus of the top 101 players in the NFL during the 2021 season. It’s important to note that franchise quarterback Russell Wilson, legendary middle linebacker Bobby Wagner and star strong safety Jamal Adams were all missing.

Seattle had three players make the cut near the end of the list. Here’s who and where they ranked.

Seahawks have 4 players on PFF’s list of the top 100 NFL free agents in 2022

Four of them are on the Pro Football Focus list of the top 100 free agents in 2022.

There are a lot of interesting players who are about to become free agents that could help the Seahawks regain their old form. First, the team will have to take care of some of its own. Seattle has several important players that are about to hit the market that are worth re-signing.

Four of them are on the Pro Football Focus list of the top 100 free agents in 2022.