Tag: DJ Reed

PFF: Jets’ DJ Reed is 23rd best outside CB in NFL

All things considered, the #Jets secondary could be coming together:

Pro Football Focus‘ position-by-position rankings from the offseason saw a New York Jets player land in a respectable position at outside cornerback.

In the head-to-head PFF list with other players from across the NFL, defensive back DJ Reed was slotted in at the No. 23 spot.

Overall, that landed Reed in their Tier 4 cornerback category, which translates to “good players with boom-or-bust tendencies.”

First, here’s the breakdown from the football analytics outlet:

Reed’s NFL career took off in Seattle at outside cornerback after he spent two years in San Francisco playing safety and nickel with limited reps. Since 2020, the 5-foot-9, 188-pounder ranks ninth in the NFL in outside coverage grade. Reed will now try to sustain that level of play in 2022 with the Jets, reuniting with former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh in a defense he has great familiarity with. While the 2018 fifth-rounder has the requisite length despite being on the shorter side, he still is scheme-limited and not a cornerback you want playing straight press-man. Reed will have to do a little bit more of that in New York, but it shouldn’t be too drastic to ruin his current trajectory.

Reed’s actually in some promising territory in Tier 4. Others in the same category include the Dallas Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs (21), Miami Dolphins’ Byron Jones (20) and Jacksonville Jaguars’ Shaquill Griffin (25).

If the Jets get 23rd best quality out of Reed, his three-year deal in New York could be a massive success. With the high expectations attached to rookie corner Sauce Gardner, the Jets might soon have one of the best young cornerback tandems roaming their secondary.

Reed, 25, played in Pete Carroll’s defense with the Seattle Seattle the past two seasons after starting his NFL career in Robert Saleh’s San Francisco 49ers unit from 2018-2019. The former fifth-round pick finished the 2021 season with the eighth-best PFF grade at 78.6.

Reed, 25,  finished with two interceptions each of the past two seasons with 17 passes defended in that time frame.

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Jets CB D.J. Reed excited to play tough schedule

The Jets play some of the best teams in the league this season. D.J. Reed is ready for them.

The Jets’ 2022 schedule includes some of the best teams in the league. D.J. Reed can’t wait to face them.

“I wanna play against the best,” the cornerback told team reporter Caroline Hendershotsaid, “and we’re playing against a lot of good teams. I’m looking forward to it.”

The Jets open the year against all four AFC North teams, which boast quarterbacks Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson (if he isn’t suspended) and either Mitchell Trubisky or Kenny Pickett for the Steelers.

“All of those teams are really great teams,” Reed said about the AFC North. “You think about the Ravens, you think about Lamar Jackson. You think about the Pittsburgh Steelers, I think about their wide receiver corps. The Browns, man, they just got Deshaun Watson, so I get to play against him.”

New York will also match up with Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson before the team’s Week 10 bye. Both are among the best quarterbacks of all time, but Reed believes he can play against them well after seeing them throughout his time in the NFC. He faced Rodgers three times in his four-year career and practiced against Wilson over the past two seasons.

“I’m looking forward to it, especially playing against Russell Wilson,” he said.

Gang Green also has to play Josh Allen twice. New York has one of the softest schedules in the league after a Week 10 bye, though. Until[listicle id=679239] then, Reed will get to test his CB1 mindset early in his Jets career.

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2022 NFL draft: Former Seahawks CB D.J. Reed approves Coby Bryant pick

Reed may not be with the Seahawks anymore, but he is still keeping an eye on his former team, and he approves of the Bryant selection.

The Seattle Seahawks are having a masterclass draft when it comes to directly addressing their biggest needs. After bolstering their offensive and defensive lines, as well as improving their running back stable, the Seahawks worked to reload their secondary with cornerback Coby Bryant from Cincinnati, their fourth-round pick.

Cornerback has been a major area of need for Seattle ever since Richard Sherman was cut. The team has struggled to find meaningful production at the position, with limited success. One player who was a lone bright spot was DJ Reed, who recently signed a three-year deal with the New York Jets.

Reed may not be with the Seahawks anymore, but he is still keeping an eye on his former team, and he approves of the Bryant selection.

Seattle claimed Reed off waivers prior to the 2020 season and made his debut Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers, the team who drafted him. Reed logged four interceptions during his year and a half stint in the PNW.

Reed would know the Seahawks secondary as well as anyone, and if he feels strongly about Bryant, then 12’s everywhere should be excited.

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Seahawks all studs in 51-29 win over Lions

Seahawks all studs in 51-29 win over Lions

“All Studs” isn’t something I’ve had the opportunity to write much this season, but when you hang 51-points on an NFL opponent – even if it’s the hapless Lions – it’s what we get. The Seattle Seahawks may have only been playing for pride at this point, but they certainly earned some semblance of it as they dismantled the Detroit Lions 51-29.

Now, of course no one considers these Lions to be anywhere near a quality team, but they had been playing teams close all season. Barely two weeks ago they humiliated the Arizona Cardinals 30-12, and had recently upset the Minnesota Vikings. For the overwhelming majority of the season, the Lions had been a shockingly competitive team.

There was no trace of those Lions on Sunday, as the Seahawks throttled them start to finish. Detroit looked closer to road kill than the King of the Jungle.

Although there were no playoff implications, this game was still significant in a sense to the Seahawks and their fans. Given the disappointing nature of the season, change is likely imminent this offseason. Sunday’s game likely was the final home showing in this particular era of Seahawks football.

If it is, then the Seahawks gave the 12th Man one final dominant outing.

Seahawks at Rams: Week 15 preview and prediction

Can the shorthanded Seahawks upset the Rams?

The Seattle Seahawks are gearing up to play one of the more uncertain games in recent memory as they prepare to face the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday evening. Originally slated for the usual Sunday afternoon timeslot, the Seahawks were forced to postpone their game due to a massive COVID-19 outbreak suffered by the Rams over the week. As of Monday afternoon, the Rams had 18 players on the COVID/reserve list.

Unfortunately by postponing the game, it became detrimental to the Seahawks’ health as a handful of critical players are now dealing with COVID themselves. Tyler Lockett, Alex Collins, Kerry Hyder, Travis Homer, Brandon Shell, DJ Reed and now Bryan Mone are all on the list. These are not insignificant losses, especially when it comes to Lockett.

Having Lockett off the field means far more attention will be given to DK Metcalf by LA’s secondary led by Jalen Ramsey – who was recently activated off the COVID list himself. In their matchups, Ramsey has mostly been effectively limited Metcalf’s production for Seattle.

In the Week 5 meeting between these teams, the Rams were handling the Seahawks with their usual ease in a 26-17 win in Seattle. Despite a fourth quarter spark provided by backup Geno Smith following Russell Wilson’s injury, Los Angeles was never truly at risk of dropping the game.

Seattle has not won on the road against the Rams since 2017 and even then it was a game they barely escaped with a score of 16-10 due to a dropped game-winning touchdown by then-rookie Cooper Kupp. Considering he is arguably the best receiver in the NFL this year, it’s unlikely such an outcome will happen again.

The Rams under Sean McVay have outright owned the Seahawks. Originally this series was defined by Seattle’s inability to stop his offense from scoring, as they had surrendered 42, 33, 36, 29 and 28 points respectively in five of the first six meetings against McVay.

Since then it has been more about the Seahawks’ inability to even move the ball. Seattle’s point totals in the last four meetings have been 12, 16, 20 and while they ended with 20 points in the playoff loss last year they were trailing 30-13 well into the fourth quarter.

Wilson and the Seahawks offense have been playing much better these last two games, but don’t expect it to continue against a team that has historically had Wilson’s number, especially as he likely won’t have Lockett.

Prediction: Rams over Seahawks 21-10 

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Fans crushed the NFL after awful taunting penalties continued to ruin games

Nobody asked for this.

When the NFL announced that officials would place an added emphasis on enforcing taunting penalties, everyone knew it was going to be a terrible idea.

The league was taking a problem that didn’t exist and seemingly going out of its way to make the viewing experience demonstrably worse. After all, nothing good can come from throwing 15-yard penalties at players for flexing in the vicinity of an opponent.

It was a rule that was designed to take the fun and personality out of the game because a bunch of owners on the Competition Committee didn’t like seeing it. And by doing that, they opened up the possibility of a game-changing taunting call.

We nearly had that happen on Sunday.

Seahawks cornerback D.J. Reed wants to set the tone in Seattle

Seattle Seahawks cornerback DJ Reed joined the Jim Rome Show on Wednesday to discuss his offseason, philosophy, and the Seahawks’ culture.

D.J. Reed joined the Jim Rome Show on Wednesday to discuss his offseason, personal philosophy, and the culture within the Seattle Seahawks organization among other things.

When asked about his offseason, the fourth-year defensive back stated that things are proceeding smoothly.

“The offseason has been going really good, actually,” Reed said. “I’m training in L.A. I’ve been training at JLT, it’s in Hollywood. We’ve been getting to it to say the least. So, just doing explosive work, running up hills, lifting heavy in the weight room. A lot of explosion work, a lot of linear work and now I’m starting to get into position work to just focus on football and playing corner, so it’s going really well.”

In regards to his philosophy and attitude on the field, Reed stated that he wishes to make an impact early to set the tone so he can feel comfortable and confident throughout the majority of his playing time.

“I just want to set the tone,” he said. “I think that’s the biggest thing and that starts in the beginning of the game. Obviously, I want to do my job, but I want to do my job at the highest level. And that comes from film study, that comes from the demeanor in how I practice and that just gives me confidence to go out there and dominate the person in front of me.”

At 5-foot-9, Reed does not fit coach Pete Carroll’s ideal size and build, but gained his respect before his return from injury with his confidence in his abilities as a cornerback.

“When I came in Pete asked me, probably a couple weeks before we played the 49ers, if I would rather play corner or safety,” Reed continued. “I told him, ‘corner all day.’ I was an All-American at corner in college, I could really play that position at a high level. He said ‘OK, with all these injuries I’m going to throw you in there.’ Just for him to have the confidence to say that after seeing me practice, it meant a lot because coaches coming into the league labeled me as a slot corner just because I was 5-9. For him to give me that opportunity, I have the utmost respect for Pete.”

Reed earned and maintained a starting position for eight games last season and accumulated two interceptions, seven passes defensed, 62 tackles (46 solo), and two fumble recoveries in 10 contests.

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Carroll praises D.J. Reed, Shanahan expresses regret over losing him

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll praised cornerback D.J. Reed, while Kyle Shanahan expressed regret over losing the defensive back.

Cornerback D.J. Reed has been somewhat of a revelation for the Seattle Seahawks and one of many key contributors to the team’s defensive turnaround in 2020.

Coach Pete Carroll lavished praise on the third-year defensive back for making an immediate impact upon arriving in the Emerald City.

“He’s got great awareness,” Carroll said during his Wednesday press conference. “He’s got great quickness. He’s got world-class quick feet. You put that with the awareness and the savvy that he has, he can get to places, he can stick to guys. He’s got a knack for making plays.”

Carroll also commended general manager John Schneider for seeing the opportunity to claim Reed this summer after the 49ers waived him.

“John and his guys that do the evaluations, they knew he was a good enough football player to play nickel, safety, or corner,” Carroll explained. “That’s what came right in from the first day we were talking about him. I think the quickness of his transition is what we’re really surprised by, how easy it was for him to learn and to jump in, but our guys thought he was going to be a big factor for us.”

Speaking of the 49ers, they seem to be regretting their decision right about now.

“D.J., it made us sick to lose,” San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said via conference call. “… It’s something I wish we could have had back.”

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5 takeaways from Seattle’s 37-27 victory over San Francisco Week 8

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 37-27 to move into first place in the NFC. Here are five takeaways.

The Seattle Seahawks (6-1) defeated the San Francisco 49ers (4-4) by a score of 37-27 at CenturyLink Field. Here are five takeaways from the game.

Seahawks claim former 49ers cornerback D.J. Reed off waivers

The Seattle Seahawks claimed former San Francisco 49ers cornerback D.J. Reed off waivers, but he will miss at least the first six weeks.

After the San Francisco 49ers released cornerback D.J. Reed on Tuesday, the Seattle Seahawks scooped him up on waivers the following day, adding another piece to their secondary.

Reed was waived with a non-football injury designation and will likely be unable to play for the first six weeks of the 2020 season while he heals from his torn pectoral muscle that he suffered during an offseason workout.

Seattle may have made this move for depth purposes, as Reed will not be expected to make a significant impact even if he returns in 2020. He recorded a mere 13 tackles on defense in 16 games and zero starts last season.

The Seahawks look to have a solid secondary with Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs and Shaquill Griffin in the fold, but their plans for Reed are relatively unknown at the moment.

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