Film Breakdown: Instinctive D.J. Reed Provides Much-Needed Jolt to Seahawks' Secondary

Coming off his best game in three NFL seasons, Corbin Smith and Matty Brown analyze Reed's surprising play since replacing Tre Flowers and Quinton Dunbar as Seattle's starting right cornerback, including his athletic traits, technique, and situational awareness.

Despite hitting the midway point of the season with a 6-2 record, the Seahawks were on pace to shatter an unwanted single season record, giving up north of 360 passing yards per game. At the center of these struggles, a maligned secondary continued to have chemistry and continuity issues in large part due to injuries.

But everything seemed to change in Week 10 when the Seahawks flew to Los Angeles for their first matchup against the Rams. Though they wound up losing 23-16, the defense held their opponent to just six points in the second half in what proved to be a decisive turning point.

Interestingly, Seattle's defensive backfield didn't start playing better as a result of the projected starters finally getting in sync. Quinton Dunbar remained on injured reserve nursing a chronic knee issue, while Tre Flowers still has yet to return from his own hamstring injury, leaving a major void at the cornerback position.

Instead, the Seahawks resurgence has been spearheaded unexpectedly by 5-foot-9 cornerback D.J. Reed, who made his first start on the outside against the Rams seven weeks ago. Since then, with Shaquill Griffin, Dunbar, and Flowers all missing time, he has started four of the past five games, including enjoying a career day with an interception and three passes defensed in a 20-15 win over Washington last weekend.

What has allowed Reed to shine in Seattle's secondary? Corbin Smith and Matty Brown dissect the third-year defensive back's athletic skills, technique, and situational awareness in their first collaborative Seahawk Maven Film Session.