The Detroit Lions added three cornerbacks to bolster their secondary this offseason, and the most notable of the group is former New York Jet D.J. Reed.
A veteran who has played seven seasons with three organizations, Reed comes to Detroit with intentions of being the team's top cornerback in 2025 and beyond. His presence is a welcome one for Detroit, who in the hour prior to his agreement to a deal lost veteran Carlton Davis to the New England Patriots.
Now, Reed brings the veteran expertise that the Lions desire, and has a physical profile that matches what the Lions want to do. Though he may be undersized in some matchups with his 5-foot-9 frame, Reed doesn't shy away from physicality and will be able to mix it up.
One area that pops off the tape within his skill set is how instinctual he plays. For example, in this Week 1 game against San Francisco, Reed quickly breaks on a slant route by Deebo Samuel after getting into his initial backpedal and breaks up the pass.
While his short-area instincts are a big part of what makes him successful, he can also be sticky on downfield routes. He seems to have a quick twitch in recognizing and diagnosing routes, which allows him to have quick reactions and force tight window throws.
The veteran defender had a PFF grade of 70.1 in coverage, allowing a 58.3 completion percentage and an opposing quarterback rating of 91.7 in 2024.
For example, in the clip below he stays attached with Houston tight end Cade Stover and breaks up an in-breaking route.
The Lions play a high amount of press coverage, and Reed was proficient in that area for the Jets last season. According to NextGen Stats, the veteran allowed just 1.1 yards per press coverage snap in each of the last four seasons.
Reed is more than capable of playing on an island, which is what Detroit will ask him to do often. On the clip below, the Vikings motion into a formation requiring Reed to be all alone on Jordan Addison. He does a solid job of backpedaling, then throttling down and making a play on the ball and forcing an incompletion.
For the Lions, Reed should slot in as the top cornerback right away. He spent time with New York as the second option opposite of one of the best young corners in Sauce Gardner, but he'll be on the flip side of that dynamic initially.
Terrion Arnold has the making of a future star, but will have room to grow heading into his second NFL season. The same can be said for Ennis Rakestraw, who missed a significant portion of his rookie year due to injuries.
Arnold struggled with penalties early in his first NFL season, but showed growth and an aptitude for remaining physical at the catch point as the season wore on and appeared to be more comfortable by the end of his first year.
Amik Robertson will also factor into the equation, as he played a huge role for Detroit's defense as a slot cornerback for most of the season. Once Davis suffered a season-ending injury, Robertson bumped outside and held his own. With Reed in the mix, Robertson figures to bump back inside to start the campaign.
The Lions' secondary will have a different look overall in 2025, with Reed, Avonte Maddox and Rock Ya-Sin all in as new faces. However, Reed brings that similar feel with how he plays the game, and should have little trouble slotting in as the top cornerback option to start the campaign.
