New York Giants: 5 young defensive players to target in free agency
By Reese Nasser
D.J. Reed, Cornerback
PFF Projected Deal: 3 yrs — $8m avg/yr
Seahawks cornerback DJ Reed has been among the best at his position since breaking out in 2020. As each season has progressed, Reed has progressively gotten bigger and bigger roles within the defense. After playing 560 snaps in 2020, he reached 1002 this past season.
Reed doesn’t fit the modern build of most cornerbacks in today’s game. At just 5’9, he is seen as undersized in comparison to most of the top corners in the NFL. But his size hasn’t impacted his play as he has excelled in all areas of the defense.
In the past two seasons, since joining the Seahawks, Reed has emerged as a lockdown corner. He has recorded four interceptions, 17 defended passes, and 140 tackles.
Great recovery by D.J. Reed after getting beat initially on inside release by Johnson. Hell of a job making up ground, tracking, and then getting hand on football for incompletion. #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/kZh1Hgm8QC
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) October 19, 2021
Over the past two seasons, Reed has ranked as the 14th and 8th best corner in the league according to PFF.
There is a real chance that James Bradberry could be moved in the near future by the New York Giants. Moving on from a veteran cornerback of his caliber would leave a sizable gap in the Giants secondary. Adding Reed would help soften the loss and still help keep this secondary relevant.
At 25 years old, Reed is young enough to continue to develop alongside the rest of the New York Giants secondary. He could be a long-term piece for this unit.