Bijan Robinson
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) dives into New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed (4) during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)AP
ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions are opening free agency by adding a starting-level cornerback who was considered one of the best defensive players available.
D.J. Reed and the Lions have agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $48 million deal with $32 million guaranteed. Reed’s signing was announced on the heels of ex-Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III landing a $60 million deal with the New England Patriots.
Reed confirmed the reports with a simple “Detroit!” message posted to social media.
Pro Football Focus had Reed ranked as the top free-agent cornerback and sixth-best overall player available this week. NFL Network had Reed as the ninth-best available free agent, and the third-best cornerback.
Reed graded 29th among cornerbacks who played at least 20% of their team’s snaps last season. He was used a ton in zone coverage looks. The 5-foot-9 cornerback played only 31.1% of his snaps in man, allowing 21 catches on 34 targets for 214 yards and two touchdowns in those looks, per the analytics site.
The lockdown 28-year-old corner and this three-year deal pairs well with the young cornerback duo of Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, not to mention Amik Robertson’s ability to play inside or outside in Detroit.
Arnold was an immediate starter out of the gates as a first-round pick. Rakestraw struggled with hamstring injuries all year, but had a strong training camp and the Lions love his potential fit. Robertson played in the slot until injuries in the defensive backfield forced him to the outside, with Brian Branch moving back to safety.
When in San Francisco, Reed saw some action in the slot, but has only 33 snaps inside over the last three seasons. Reed played 803 of 891 defensive snaps on the outside last season, so if that sticks, expect Robertson back in the slot with a rotation of Arnold and Reed on the outside, with Rakestraw filling in the gaps.
The cornerback has played double-digit games in each of his seven seasons in the league since landing with the San Francisco 49ers as a fifth-round pick in 2018.
He has six interceptions, with only three through the last three seasons. Still, Reed has been sticky in coverage and appears to have a strong ability to balance man and zone looks. The Lions loved to play man coverage under former defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn -- more than anybody else in the league.
Dan Campbell and new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard both noted how they will continue to be themselves defensively. But there could be seem tweaks and the amount and certain calls of man coverage as they continue to adjust with the changing roster.
“And there’ll be some things that we’ll tweak in the system that we have been running that we think are going to help us, help our guys,” the Lions head coach said at the scouting combine. “There’s already been a couple of things that have come up, and that’s just the nature of having different guys, right? You just kind of have a little different belief system.
“Doesn’t mean, for example, we’re not going to play man. It’s just, what kind of type of man are we going to play? What kind of leverage, or how is it going to start? That’s all.”
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