Player
D.J. Reed
CB · Lions
D.J. Reed: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
4 teams in 8 seasons — SF reclamation, Seattle resurrection, Jets contract, Detroit veteran.
TrendReed by season — tackles, PDs, INTs
| Season | Team | Solo | Ast | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | SF | 26 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | SF | 11 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | SEA | 46 | 16 | 8 | 2 |
| 2021 | SEA | 48 | 16 | 10 | 2 |
| 2022 | NYJ | 58 | 17 | 12 | 1 |
| 2023 | NYJ | 56 | 14 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | NYJ | 46 | 12 | 10 | 1 |
| 2025 | DET | 36 | 9 | 7 | 2 |
Reed entered the league as a 5'9" 5th-round pick (#142 in 2018, San Francisco) and started his career as a special-teamer. Seattle picked him up on waivers in 2020 and the role exploded — 8 PDs and 2 INTs that year, 10 PDs in 2021 — earning a 3-year, $33M deal with the Jets in 2022.
Three NYJ years produced 31 PDs and 3 INTs as their #2 corner. In 2025 Detroit signed him as the veteran piece for a young secondary.
Pass defenses per season
| Season | PDs |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 10 |
| 2022 | 12 |
| 2023 | 9 |
| 2024 | 10 |
| 2025 | 7 |
12 PDs in 2022 — Reed's career high, his first NYJ season.
MilestoneReed 2022 line (first NYJ year)
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Solo tackles | 58 |
| Assists | 17 |
| TFL | 1 |
| PD | 12 |
| INT | 1 |
| FF | 1 |
On a Jets defense that produced Sauce Gardner's DPOY-finalist rookie year, Reed was the steady veteran corner across from the rookie. His 12 PDs led the team's CBs and gave NYJ the #3 ranked pass defense in 2022.
Reed's PD totals from 2020-2024 (8, 10, 12, 9, 10) are the kind of consistent ballhawk numbers that get less attention than INT totals but are a strong proxy for being targeted and contested at the catch point.
5'9" — the shortest starting outside corner in the league for most of his career.
SplitReed measured 5'9", 188 lbs out of Kansas State — the height is borderline disqualifying for an outside CB in most defensive schemes. He's spent his entire career playing boundary corner anyway, never moving inside to nickel despite the size.
The production rate while undersized is part of what made his market value rise — 47 career PDs and 9 INTs despite the constant size disadvantage at the catch point.
2025: 2 INTs and a pick-six in just 11 games for Detroit — career-high INT rate.
AnomalyReed had never put up more than 2 INTs in a season through his first 7 NFL years. In 2025 Detroit he matched that career high in just 11 games played — a per-game INT rate of 0.18, well above his career average of 0.08.
The move to a Detroit defense that pressures the QB heavily (Hutchinson, Davenport, Paschal) is producing more rushed throws — and Reed is converting them. Add 7 PDs and a fumble recovery and the partial-season production is on pace with his best NYJ years.
Free-agent signing → starter at every stop. The Pete Carroll find that became a $33M corner.
ComparisonAfter SF released him in 2020, Reed was a waiver claim by Seattle — Pete Carroll's defenses have a long history of finding undersized DBs and turning them into starters (Sherman, Lane, Tre Flowers). Reed fit the mold.
Two Seattle years of 18 PDs, 4 INTs got him a 3-year, $33M deal with the Jets, and Detroit then signed him in 2025 as a 1-year veteran insurance piece. Across four teams now, Reed has started every healthy game he's played since 2020.
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