The San Francisco 49ers front office during general manager’s John Lynch’s tenure has had some pretty significant missteps to go along with a bevy of home runs that have allowed the club to remain competitive when healthy for the last six seasons.
While gaffes like the Trey Lance trade stand out, there’s another, under-the-radar mistake Lynch and the front office actually have a chance to correct in the 2025 offseason.
Reed originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick by the 49ers in the 2018 draft. It looked after his second season like Reed was working his way into a regular role in the 49ers’ secondary as a versatile safety. In the 2020 offseason he suffered a chest injury San Francisco deemed to be season-ending. They waived him with an injury designation, meaning he’d revert to season-ending IR for San Francisco as long as he cleared waivers.
“That’s a tough one for us,” Lynch said at the time in a press conference on Zoom. “The earliest we might’ve had D.J. back, was early November, but it’s a four-to-six month injury.”
The 49ers have done this a handful of times without issue, but in 2020 it backfired. When Reed hit waivers, the Seattle Seahawks pounced. Reed wound up playing in 10 games that year and a career-high 560 snaps for the Seahawks. It also proved to be a breakout campaign for Reed who moved to cornerback full time.
While the 49ers had trouble piecing together a secondary in the years after Reed’s exit, he thrived. Now he’s a free agent and San Francisco could use a third CB to play alongside Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green. There’s an opportunity for Lynch and the 49ers front office to bring Reed back after his unceremonious exit before the 2020 campaign.
Of course, Reed just turned 28 and has been an excellent starting CB with the Jets for the three years after his two-year Seattle tenure. He has two interceptions and 32 pass breakups the last three seasons to go along with 220 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks.
He may get priced out of what the 49ers are willing to spend on a third starting CB, but they should absolutely be in the market to try and correct a mistake they made in letting Reed out the door in the first place.
PFF released their top 50 free agents list of 2025. Could the Packers target anyone from the list in free agency?
After securing a spot in this year’s playoffs with last week’s blowout win over the New Orleans Saints, the Green Bay Packers will aspire to a deep postseason run once the New Year hits. With an 11-4 record, the Packers are a talented team but currently winless against the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions. Therefore, they still have to prove they can contend with the crème de la crème in the NFC.
If this doesn’t turn out to be Green Bay’s year, they will still have plenty of pieces to build around. Roster building is a 365-day-a-year job, and there will undoubtedly be areas where the Packers can improve during the offseason.
While it’s hard to get into the offseason mindset with so much more football to be played, Green Bay is projected to have plenty of money to spend, opening the door for an aggressive approach in free agency. With that in mind, Pro Football Focus recently released its top 50 free agents for 2025. Some names on their list could be great fits for a cash-flush Packers team.
Using PFF’s rankings, let’s identify a few free agents who could be at the top of Green Bay’s wish list in 2025.
CB D.J. Reed, New York Jets
2024 stats: 12 games (12 starts), 54 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, 10 pass breakups, zero interceptions
PFF: “Reed is poised to enter free agency at an ideal moment, as he’s on track for a career year. His 75.1 coverage grade ranks 14th among players at his position this season. He’s also excelled in PFF’s advanced metrics, boasting a 52.26% lockdown percentage.”
Fit with Packers: Last offseason, the only new corner added to the Packers roster was seventh-round pick Kalen King, an indication the team felt pretty good about their corner depth. That decision has worked out well, considering they are 8th overall in passing yards allowed per game this season, even with top corner Jaire Alexander missing eight games due to injury. However, with Alexander’s injuries piling up and former first-rounder Eric Stokes on an expiring deal, corner should be a higher priority in 2025. Reed will be highly coveted, but Green Bay might be an appealing destination. There would likely be a lot of carryover from the Jets’ scheme to Jeff Hafley’s, setting up for a smooth transition for Reed, who would join an extremely talented secondary and be starting for a legitimate contender.
EDGE Malcolm Koonce, Las Vegas Raiders
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
2024 stats: No games played (injury)
PFF: “If Koonce hadn’t suffered a season-ending knee injury before 2024 began and instead carried over his momentum from the back half of 2023, he could’ve been squarely within the top 10 of our list. Perhaps the silver lining, if there is one, to getting injured so early in the year is that Koonce should be healthier entering the free agency period than if he got hurt during the season. A short-term deal where Koonce can hit the market again in 2026, or sign an extension one year into a two-year deal a la recent edge defenders like Uchenna Nwosu, could make sense.”
Fit with Packers: Green Bay’s edge rusher room has done a good job of late, but if they are looking for some reinforcements, Koonce is worth a look. Coming off a breakout year of 8.0 sacks, 43 tackles, and 17 quarterback hits in 2023, Koonce unfortunately suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice just three days before the start of the 2024 season. The Raiders have had a disastrous year and would be wise to retain a player with Koonce’s potential, but they could also choose to let him walk. Still only 26, Koonce’s best football may still be ahead of him, and Green Bay is an ideal landing spot where he could continue to hone his skills in a 4-3 defense. At the very least, he’s an excellent rotational piece to pair with Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, and Brenton Cox Jr.
C Drew Dalman, Atlanta Falcons
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2024 stats: 7 games (7 starts), 61.4 pass-blocking grade, 79.6 run-blocking grade, eight pressures and two sacks allowed in pass protection, 411 offensive snaps played
PFF: “There aren’t many long-term answers in free agency at center, which will make Dalman the primary beneficiary if he reaches the open market. Any team that deploys an outside-zone rushing scheme will be all over the former fourth-round pick. Dalman has room to grow as a pass protector but is one of the best run-blocking centers in the NFL and will advance the continued growth of the interior offensive line market after Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey finally reset the center market.”
Fit with Packers: Josh Myers has been the Packers’ preferred center for the past four years, but that could change once his rookie contract expires at the end of the season. Green Bay could definitely find an upgrade for Myers, who is the 39th-ranked center among centers who have played at least 200 offensive snaps this season. That pales in comparison to Dalman, who is fifth overall. The Packers would be getting a much more consistent player in Dalman, which has been an issue with Myers since he entered the league as a second-round pick in 2021. Dalman was in the same draft class and has vastly outperformed Myers despite being drafted two rounds later.
The New York Jets were already active ahead of the 2024 NFL trade deadline.
With the 4 p.m. cutoff now here on Nov. 5, could another move be on the way? It remains to be seen.
However, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini named three players that could end up moving… but there’s a curveball: These players would only be traded if New York general manager Joe Douglas decides the team will be selling, not buying, at the deadline.
Even so, there were a trio of players in green and white recently named in a report that other teams are calling about to ask if the Jets would considering moving them.
The full list can be found below:
WR Garrett Wilson
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Wilson could be a player that is in the fold for the Jets’ plans now and in the future. What this potentially comes down to is what New York could get in return. After a tough start to 2024, Wilson is one of the players that would hold the most trade value in terms of what the Jets could get in return for him in case New York believes he won’t re-sign this upcoming offseason.
CB DJ Reed
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Reed is having a top-flight season for New York’s defense. Throughout most of the season, he’s been the Jets’ No. 1 cornerback over Sauce Gardner if you’re looking at metrics like Pro Football Focus. However, Reed is playing on an expiring contract and teams around the NFL are likely asking the Jets if they’d like to cash in on him.
WR Davante Adams
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Davante Adams? After just acquiring him? Well, if the Jets really thought their season was over, Adams could fetch back the draft pick New York gave up for him. It seems unlikely the front office and quarterback Aaron Rodgers would give this one a stamp of approval, though…
Causes for concern as the Bills face the Jets in Week 6
The Buffalo Bills will head to Metlife Stadium to take on the New York Jets on Monday Night Football in Week 6.
The divisional clash will feature Bills (3-2) and Jets (2-3) teams that both lost last week.
The winner of Monday’s game will be the leader in the division. If the Bills win, they will gain a stranglehold on the division even after an up-and-down start to the season.
For the Bills to improve to 4-2 and take a two-game lead in the AFC East, they will need to be wary of these three things from the Jets on Monday:
Pass coverage
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Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed are arguably the best cornerback duo in the NFL. They are a big reason the team is ranked second in the the NFL in both total defense and pass defense. According to PFF, Reed is graded as the best cornerback in the league through five weeks. His 90.8 coverage grade is second in the entire NFL to the 49ers’ Fred Warner.
Despite losing last week, the Jets held a red-hot Minnesota Vikings offense to just 179 passing yards. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold posted a 50.3 passer rating while completing just 14 passes on 31 attempts (45%). Last week, Josh Allen posted even worse numbers than those. He and offensive coordinator Joe Brady need a bounceback game in the worst way. It’s a tough matchup for the Bills after their wide receivers struggled against the Houston Texans.
Pass rush
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It’s not just the coverage downfield that makes the Jets’ defense a nightmare. The big guys up front can reach the quarterback with the best of them. The Jets are fourth in the NFL in sacks with 18. Jets edge rusher Will McDonald IV is tied for second in the league in sacks with 6.
After Allen was pressured on 41.7% of his dropbacks against the Texans, the Bills offense now faces a team who can get after the QB in the same way.
For all the times Allen was under pressure in Week 5, he didn’t complete a single pass when pressured. Protection for Allen needs to be on point Monday or McDonald and company will have a major impact. And, receivers need to get open as well.
Unpredictability?
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The Jets promoted defensive coordinator to interim head coach after firing head coach Robert Saleh. They also changed offensive playcallers. Todd Downing takes over for Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s singal caller. After five weeks, ownership had seen enough of the same old problems.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers ranks 26th in the NFL in passer rating and has a 7-4 touchdown ratio. But still, the shakeup within the organization was unexpected.
As far as what the Bills can expect from Jets, there probably won’t be too much difference in what they were last week. There may be a couple added wrinkles in playcalls. Regardless, it will be a good test for head coach Sean McDermott and coordinators Joe Brady and Bobby Babich.
3 keys to a Jets victory vs. the Patriots in Week 3:
The New York Jets will hope to add a win to their 2024 record in Week 3. The team will host the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium on Thursday.
As usual, it will never be a walk in the park in the NFL. If the Jets (1-1) expect to beat the Pats (1-1), there will be a few key things New York will have to focus on against New England.
It will have to be a full-team effort, make no mistake. But these factors could weigh heavy on whether or not New York grab a win or loss at home.
Here are three keys to the Jets pulling out a victory against the Patriots:
Keep stepping up
Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (USAT)
The Jets are likely to have multiple players on defense missing in their home opener. Pass rusher Jermaine Johnson (Achilles) is out. Linebacker CJ Mosley (toe) is listed as questionable. Cornerbacks Michael Carter II (ankle) and DJ Reed (knee) will play but are not going to be 100 percent and others could rotate in.
Head coach Robert Saleh has to put his players in the best positions to make sure the defense doesn’t miss a beat. Specifically, the Jets need to slow down Patriots rushers Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson.
Give Aaron time
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The Jets had one of their best offensive line performances in a long time against the Tennessee Titans during their 24-17 win last week. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers does not look like his Hall of Fame resume as of now, but if you give him time, he can clearly get the ball in the right places.
Establish the run
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The story of the 2024 Jets through two games are running backs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen. Both of them performed well in their own right–And link this to the key above is factual as well.
If Hall and Allen keep rolling (the offensive line must continue to help here), it will keep the Patriots defense on their toes. That will allow Rodgers to get to ball out to the likes of Garrett Wilson & Co. at the playmaker positions. The Patriots won’t stand much of a chance if this happens.
Jets’ Robert Saleh updates injuries for Michael Carter II, CJ Mosley, DJ Reed
New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh provided both good and injury news on Monday. Following his team’s 24-17 Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans, Saleh noted three names.
At the top, linebacker Jermaine Johnson (Achilles) has indeed sustained a season-ending injury. But the player gave us that news, not the coach.
Ahead of facing the New England Patriots (1-1) in Week 3’s “Thursday Night Football” matchup, we now have more context on the statuses of cornerback Michael Carter II, linebacker CJ Mosley and cornerback DJ Reed thanks to Saleh.
On the negative side of the ledger, the ankle injury Carter has is not going anywhere. The coach did say the Jets are “hopeful” Carter can play against the Pats but added his ankle is going to be a problem for the foreseeable future. Carter featured in a limited role against the Titans.
Relating to Mosley and Reed, they did not fare as well in Tennessee. Reed (knee) did not play. Mosley started but left the game and did not return because of a toe injury.
The Tennessee Titans are healthy and ready to go against the New York Jets.
The Tennessee Titans return to the field against the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium.
After battling injuries most of training camp, the Titans are fully healthy with head coach Brian Callahan announcing there will be no injury designations this week.
Cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie (hip) and L’Jarius Sneed (rest) were limited participants, but are expected to play.
Full injury reports for both the Titans and Jets can be found below.
Tennessee Titans
Out: None
Doubtful: None
Questionable: None
New York Jets
Out: None
Doubtful: None
Questionable: D.J. Reed (knee), Michael Clemons (tricep)
Having practice reps versus Aaron Rodgers during training camp has only made Sauce Gardner and the New York Jets pass defense better.
Last season the New York Jets led the entire NFL in opponent pass yards allowed per game. Sure, defensive back Sauce Gardner and D.J Reed didn’t tally up a bunch of interceptions but they did combine for 21 pass deflections.
Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be afforded the opportunity to blitz opponents often knowing he has a group of stellar defensive backs. Jarrick Bernard-Converse also had a good preseason and will likely see reps as the slot defensive back when Ulbrich goes to his nickel personnel.
Against all odds, @D7_Reed grew to become a top NFL CB.
Reed, Gardner, and Bernard-Converse all have the ability to play man coverage and will allow safety Chuck Clark to cheat inside to help with run stop support. Opponents weren’t forced to throw the ball a lot versus the Jets last season because the Jets were horrific on offense but that’s likely to change.
The 2024 Jets’ offensive attack will lead to more scoring and game leads this year forcing opponents into passing the ball at higher volumes.
There isn’t a wide receiver in the NFL that does not respect Gardner as an elite defender. Having been afforded the opportunity to get practice reps versus Aaron Rodgers during training camp, the Jets’ pass defense will only become more potent as the season progresses.
The Jets will officially be without two of their top four cornerbacks for their Week 5 trip to Denver.
D.J. Reed was not cleared from the concussion protocol Friday, as was expected, and will not play Sunday against the Broncos. The Jets had already ruled out Brandin Echols with a hamstring injury earlier in the week.
With Reed and Hall out, the Jets will have to figure out how to set their lineup for Sunday. They could simply put Bryce Hall into Reed’s spot Sunday or they could shuffle pieces around.
Head coach Robert Saleh even said Friday there was no hesitation about the possibility of moving nickel corner Michael Carter II outside.
Robert Saleh on if there's hesitancy to move Michael Carter II outside from the slot, said no. "Whatever we gotta do to win the football game." #Jets
It will be very interesting to see how the Jets put this puzzle together going up against the Broncos wide receivers. They also have extra depth now on the practice squad that may get called up as well this week. Craig James, Kalon Barnes and Tae Hayes were all added to the practice squad this week.
Jets injury report: Tony Adams back, D.J. Reed unlikely to play
The Jets look to be getting one key piece of the secondary back this week but likely will be without two others.
Safety Tony Adams was a full participant in practice Thursday, his first full practice since injuring his hamstring in Week 2. He’ll be back this week, but the Jets will likely now be without two of their cornerbacks against the Denver Broncos.
Brandin Echols was already ruled out this week with a hamstring injury. The big question right now is on D.J. Reed. He missed practice again as he remains in the concussion protocol. We’ll know more Friday morning, but the likelihood is that he won’t be cleared in time to play. If Reed can’t go, it could be Bryce Hall getting the nod opposite Sauce Gardner but the Jets do have a number of options they can go with.
Linebacker Samuel Eguavoen has also missed practice this week with an ankle injury. Safety Jarrick Bernard-Converse (foot) and offensive tackle Carter Warren (shoulder) were both listed as limited. The Jets opened the 21-day practice window on both this week. Neither are officially on the 53-man roster yet.
Along with Adams, offensive tackle Mekhi Becton (knee) and offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer (concussion) were both full participants Thursday. Schweitzer has missed the last two games.
CB D.J. Reed (concussion) misses a second straight day of practice. We’ll find out more tomorrow morning from Robert Saleh and later when the Jets must list Reed’s game status on the final injury report. pic.twitter.com/QXXYVSz4kz
or at least for the immediate future where he’s in and out of games.’
