One Year After Career-Altering Injury, D.J. Reed Keeps Flourishing in Seahawks' Secondary
RENTON, WA - Only minutes into the Seahawks first padded practice of the 2021 season, DK Metcalf jogged out to the hash mark to kick off one-on-ones between receivers and cornerbacks. Across from the towering 6-foot-3 wideout, D.J. Reed walked up into press coverage, ready to spar on the outside despite having a six inch height disadvantage.
Off the snap, Reed got his hands into Metcalf's frame briefly, attempting to jam him as he took an outside release. After a few long, gazelle-like strides, he turned to come back to the football on a hitch route, but even as the receiver swatted at Reed's arms, the veteran defender fought through the contact to intercept Russell Wilson's pass.
Going to battle against a player of Metcalf's stature, the 5-foot-9 Reed indicated a different route may have gotten him on that particular play. But since he held his own at the line of scrimmage, he was able to stick with the All-Pro receiver as he sprinted down field, creating the opportunity to turn and corral the pick.
"It's very important," Reed said of winning at the line of scrimmage against bigger, athletic receivers. "Like the one on one rep I had [against Metcalf], I had a pick. But he ran a come back, he actually threw my hands off and if he would have run a fade, he would have had the fade. So I end up getting the pick because obviously he ran a hitch, a short route. It's important because he ran a 4.33 [40-yard dash], so if he gets you at the line of scrimmage, he's going to be tough to catch up with."
Such a play has become something the Seahawks can count on from the dependable Reed, whose emergence last season brought much-needed stability to a maligned secondary. Serving as a catalyst for a historic second half turnaround, his success ultimately changed the prototypical mold the franchise has looked for at cornerback, as evidenced by the decision to draft 5-foot-10 Oklahoma standout Tre Brown in April.
The crazy thing? Reed's unexpected ascendance in Seattle would not have happened if not for a bold move by general manager John Schneider.
One year ago today, Reed found himself on the waiver wire after suffering a torn pectoral muscle during an offseason workout. Due to the nature of the injury, the 49ers didn't expect him to play at all in 2020 and thus believed they could sneak the former sixth-round pick onto injured reserve to stash him for the future.
But seeing an opportunity to grab a talented young player away from a division rival at a position of need, Schneider decided to put in a waiver claim. With no other teams taking a chance on him because of his injury, the Seahawks were awarded Reed's rights and he reported to training camp one month later on the non-football injury list, hopeful he would be able to make a quick recovery and contribute at some point for his new team.
As he envisioned, Reed's injury healed faster than expected and Seattle activated him prior to a Week 8 home contest against San Francisco, allowing him to make his debut against the team that dangled him on waivers. Making his former employer pay quickly, he intercepted quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in the first quarter in the team's 37-27 victory at Lumen Field.
Only a few weeks later, an injury to Tre Flowers vaulted Reed into a starting spot at outside cornerback, a role he would not relinquish for the rest of the season. he produced 62 tackles, a pair of interceptions, and seven passes defensed. Over the final eight weeks, he performed at a high level in seven starts, producing 50 tackles, an interception, and five passes defensed as the team finished with a 6-2 record to close out an NFC West title.
Overcoming the odds by making it back from his injury in quick fashion and proving smaller, short-armed, quicker corners could indeed excel in the Seahawks' defensive scheme on the outside, Reed enjoyed a far less turbulent offseason this spring. Not rehabbing this time around, he spent extensive time working on his read step, press bail, and other technical parts of his game while also getting stronger in the weight room.
No longer a newcomer and more comfortable with the team's scheme, Reed entered training camp two weeks ago as the favorite to retain the right cornerback job and through seven practices, he has been one of Seattle's most prominent standouts.
"I just feel like it's about consistency. Going out there, doing your job, but doing your job at the highest level," Reed commented. "I think at the cornerback spots, especially in this scheme, it's about being smart. Knowing formations, knowing down and distance, communicating to your safeties and to your linebackers. It just makes everybody job easier. It's just about being disciplined and being consistent."
Despite his lack of size and length, Reed plays with the chip on his shoulder coach Pete Carroll desires, checking off every other box the Seahawks covet at cornerback. He's a physical defender who loves to make tackles in the run game, offers quality ball skills in coverage, and possesses a high football IQ.
While Reed made several nice plays during Seattle's first five non-padded practices, he elevated his game to another level in the first two padded sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, putting all three of the aforementioned traits on display. Most notably, he generated three pass deflections on Tuesday and a pass breakup in the end zone against none other than Metcalf led to an interception for rookie safety Aashari Crosswell on Wednesday.
Defending against the run, Reed has also happily come up to thump and wrap up several ball carriers, though the team doesn't allow defenders to take them to the ground during practice for safety reasons.
"A lot of guys look good in underwear. That's what we say," Reed laughed. "You can look fast, receivers can get open, they could do all this and that. Same at corner. Some corners look good in underwear. When we get pads on, some guys stand out, some guys disappear. Some guys don't want to tackle, some guys don't want to gut up. So I feel like that's the evaluation when you get pads on."
With only a few days until Seattle's mock scrimmage and nine days remaining until the preseason opener, the team has an intriguing stable of corners competing for two starting spots left vacated by the departures of Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar. As one of the few corners returning from last year's squad, Reed has been competing against Tre Flowers, Brown, and Damarious Randall thus far.
On the opposite side, Ahkello Witherspoon, who played with Reed in San Francisco previously, appears to be the front-runner to replace Griffin. But veteran Pierre Desir, who Reed has praised unprompted on several occasions this offseason, has been performing well in camp as well and appears to be squarely in the mix for playing time.
"I think we have a lot of depth. Desir, he's looked good, stood out in some practices, myself, Tre Brown, Tre Flowers. I feel like we have a lot of depth at the corner spot. We'll see how it goes. The main thing is just to stay healthy, because that's the main thing for every position group. I feel like if we stay healthy, we'll be good.”
With so many capable players vying for snaps, Carroll isn't expected to name starters anytime soon. Preseason games will most certainly play a role in the decision making process, while injuries will be worth monitoring as Reed pointed out.
But as things stand, unless he suffers an injury of his own, it would be a major shocker if Reed doesn't start for the Seahawks in Week 1 when they travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts. One of the brightest stars on the field thus far, he hasn't done anything but solidify his standing as a starter, continuing his impressive tale after being discarded by the 49ers one year ago.
