Free agent film study: What the Detroit Lions are getting in cornerback D.J. Reed

Allen Park — Welcome to our first tape study of the Detroit Lions' offseason additions. We're kicking the series off with the expected crown jewel of the team's free-agency class, cornerback D.J. Reed, who scored a three-year, $48 million contract from the club.

The format for these posts will include a short bio, recent statistics, injury history, athletic profile, schematic usage and a comprehensive evaluation of the player’s skill set with supporting clips from their 2024 tape.

Games watched

Significant portions of all 14 of Reed’s starts from the 2024 season, including all 59 targets while in coverage.

Bio

Reed will turn 29 years old in November. Born and raised in Bakersfield, Calif., he was late to commit to football and started his college career as a walk-on at Fresno State. When coaches at the school told him he didn’t have a future on the team playing cornerback after his freshman season, Reed transferred to Cerritos College, a JUCO just outside of Los Angeles. He performed well enough there to earn an opportunity at Kansas State, where he played in 24 games across two seasons, recording 103 tackles, seven interceptions and 25 pass defenses.

Reed was selected in the fifth round of the 2018 draft by the San Francisco 49ers. A reserve who saw most of his playing time in the slot, he was let go during his third training camp after suffering an injury during training. Claimed by the Seahawks, Reed became a starter on the outside after he was medically cleared, starting 22 games for the franchise the next two seasons.

Reed parlayed that success into a three-year, $33 million contract with the New York Jets in 2022.