Around the NFL, corners watch corners. And when D.J. Reed saw the Lions' defense on film last year, "I feel like anybody that’s trying to win a Lombardi can see that Detroit’s on that way," he said. Even within the Jets building, "we used to talk about it, just the way they played."
"Whether injuries happened, you could tell that the standard was the standard," said Reed. "A bunch of guys that care about football. A bunch of guys throwing their body around for the main cause, which was to win a Super Bowl. It’s exciting to see guys playing for something that’s bigger than themselves. That’s something that I wanted to be a part of."
Following three strong seasons with the Jets, Reed knew that he'd have suitors in free agency. His aim was three-fold: "to get paid, to play with dawgs" and to wind up somewhere he could win. He quickly narrowed his options down to the Lions and the Commanders, two contenders in the NFC.
Reed reached out to a few former teammates who have played in Detroit, one of them being Jamal Adams. Adams only spent a month with the Lions last season, but told Reed that he "loved it here," that "you're gonna be ready to play football here," that "everybody's playing as one," that "it's about football. It's about winning."
"To hear that from him meant a lot," said Reed.
Reed signed a three-year, $48 million deal with Detroit to essentially replace Carlton Davis III, and was introduced at the team facility Thursday. He called his first day in Allen Park "bliss -- it feels kind of dreamy, you know what I mean?" A zero-star recruit who walked on at Fresno State, transferred to a junior college to get on the field, played his way up to Kansas State and eventually forced the NFL to take notice is now making $16 million a year on one of the best teams in the league.
And Reed isn't done proving his point. Nor are the Lions, who have emerged from decades of losing but have yet to win it all under Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes. Reed knows what people say about him, that he's 5'9, that he's not built to cover No. 1 receivers, that he benefited in New York from playing opposite All-Pro corner Sauce Gardner.
"The prototypical stuff. I kind of laugh at it now, because it's three contracts later and people still want to talk about if I could play on the outside. It's like, I've been dominating on the outside ever since I got my shot, which was in Seattle. For me, it's more about focusing on my process. And I feel like the results are going to speak for themselves," he said.
Reed broke into the NFL with the 49ers, where he got to observe Richard Sherman toward the end of his career, and blossomed after being traded to the Seahawks. In Seattle, he played a lot of zone. Then he signed with the Jets, where we "definitely played more man," especially last season. That allowed Reed to show his one-on-one cover skills, which is his favorite part of playing football: "Did he catch it or did he not?"
"I love that about corner because it’s really about you," said Reed. "You can’t blame anybody else but you. I love putting that pressure on myself."
Over the past four years, Reed has 42 passes defended, tied for 14th in the NFL. (Davis III has 43.) He's allowed a passer rating in coverage of 78.9, per Pro Football Reference. He hasn't had the same ball production in terms of picks -- and he's been flagged more than you'd like -- but the Lions can live with that for his stickiness in coverage. The way Reed sees it, "I love playing man. The Lions love playing man. So I think it's a perfect fit."
"I’m a scrappy guy myself," he said. "I have grit, I’m a tenacious player, I want to dominate and win every rep. I’m a willing tackler as well at corner, which you know most corners don’t want to tackle. Most corners want to cover. I like to throw myself out there when I have to, and I want to cover as well."
Entering year eight of his career, Reed is looking forward to being a mentor in Detroit for young corners like Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw. He'll be playing across from Arnold next season, with the No. 1 cornerback job up for grabs. Don't be surprised if Reed comes down with it. And he's really looking forward to playing in front of two star safeties in Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, which is "going to take my game to the next level," he said.
"And I think it’s going to turn up the whole defense."
At 28, Reed has made it in the NFL. He's signed two contracts north of $20 million, with more than $50 million guaranteed. He has pulled his mom out of her past life, paying her back for "all the sacrifices I've seen her (make) and the way she carried herself through the midst of it all" when he was chasing his dream. But Reed remains on the hunt, with the biggest prize in front of him.
He prayed before free agency for God to steer him to the right team. All he wanted was "a shot at that Lombardi."
"That was my goal," said Reed. "Win a Super Bowl. And whatever happens after, I could live life very happily with that.”