D.J. Reed hasn't run the 40 in a while. He ran a version of it in the Lions' scrimmage last week when Jahmyr Gibbs gained the left edge near midfield and raced down the sideline with nothing but the end zone in front of him, before Reed chased him down and tackled him out of bounds. When the Lions reviewed the play in film, Reed's teammates kept asking him, "What was your 40?" He told them he ran a 4.5 at his combine in 2018 -- on a sprained MCL.
"I didn’t really train for it, but I’ve ran a 4.3 before," said Reed. "They were like, 'Bro, you definitely run a 4.3.' And I was like, 'Yeah, I know.' Tell Madden! Tell Madden to watch these practices! They have my speed at a 90, which is abysmal. ... Post the video or something! Tag Ochocinco!"
This is about as far as Reed goes in demanding a little respect, and he does so with a laugh. He otherwise lets his play do the talking. It spoke loudly enough over the past three seasons with the Jets for the Lions to give him a three-year, $48 million deal in free agency to replace their No. 1 cornerback Carlton Davis III, who left for a slightly bigger deal with the Patriots. So far, Reed looks like a sharp investment.
He's an extremely sharp player. That's maybe the first thing that stands out watching him defend the Lions' wide receivers in practice. Reed speaks about playing his position like a professor holding office hours, as inquisitive as he is informed. He's still hungry for knowledge he enters year eight of his career, still "learning the little nuances at corner," he said, like "what type of receiver I’m going against, where is the ball at, what split is the receiver on ... I’m just taking that next step at this point in my career."
In coverage, Reed does not give ground. He was step for step with Jameson Williams on multiple routes in Sunday's practice. He mirrored Williams on a deep ball down the sideline in 7-on-7's, signaling incomplete to the crowd after Jared Goff's pass fell harmlessly incomplete. Later in 11-on-11's, he was glued to Williams' hip on a quick completion over the middle and in position to tackle him short of the sticks on third down. Wherever Williams went, there was Reed, matching strides with one of the fastest players in the NFL.
Asked how he would describe his cover style, Reed thought about it for a moment and said, "I would say very smart, just knowing who I’m going up against. Also, just a technician. Knowing what I’m giving up and what I’m not gonna give up. And just playing confident. Challenging the quarterback and the wide receiver to beat me with a great ball. I feel like to beat me, it has to be a damn-near perfect ball and damn-near perfect catch every time, which is hard to do."
Reed, 28, talks about winning all three phases of a route, from the receiver's release off the line, to playing with "eye discipline" in the middle of the route, to "winning the play at the point of attack" when the ball's in the air. If he wins the release, which is his primary goal, the rest takes care of itself. His smarts and savvy have been especially evident in his reps against Williams, with Reed reading the younger receiver's every move to be in tune with his next step.
"It’s like, I’m feeling how his body is moving and kind of seeing how he is about to accelerate, and I know when he’s about to go zero to 100. It’s more of a feel thing and experience (than physical)," he said.
After toiling on losing teams in New York, Reed believes that playing for a contender in Detroit could bring out the best in him. He says that "I definitely haven’t shown my best film, so I’m looking forward to putting it all together this year." There's a perception that Reed was the beneficiary of playing across from Sauce Gardner and didn't have to lock horns with many No. 1 receivers during his time with the Jets, and is therefore untested as a No. 1 corner. Not true, he says.
"If you watch the games," the Jets typically didn't ask a corner to travel with the opposition's best receiver. Reed held down the right side, Gardner the left, with Reed usually taking over the big part of the field in the red zone. Last season alone, said Reed, he guarded Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins against the Bengals -- "whoever was on my side" -- Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle against the Dolphins, Courtland Sutton against the Broncos, D.K. Metcalf against the Seahawks and, most notably, Justin Jefferson against the Vikings. He'll see Jefferson twice a year in the NFC North.
(Jefferson, for the record, caught six of 14 targets against Reed and the Jets, one of his lowest catch rates of the season. Reed allowed two completions on seven targets in coverage.)
"I’ve guarded all the 1’s. I’ve done that, and I also did that when I was in Seattle," said Reed. "It’s not really much of a prove-it thing. I think I’ve shown, any (team) that we’ve played, I’ve guarded their best receivers every game. It’s not about (proving that I can do it). For me, I just have, like, a curiosity to see how far I can take it -- that’s the reason why I really want to play -- is just to see how far I can take it, individually, and ultimately to help our team win the Super Bowl."
Reed has played in the Super Bowl, where he lost to the Chiefs in the 2019 season with the 49ers. He did most of his work on special teams back then, learning from veteran DB's like Richard Sherman and Jimmie Ward on one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Lions' secondary is similarly teeming with talent, from Reed and Terrion Arnold on the outside, to Amik Robertson at nickel, to Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph at safety. Reed says they "have the opportunity to be the best" secondary in the NFL, which would be a huge boost for a team that last season allowed the third most passing yards in the league.
"The sky’s the limit for us. We have a really talented team. Even the way T-A has been playing in these first few practices, if he continues to play that way, we’re going to be really dangerous," said Reed.
Arnold has indeed looked sharp in camp -- "like a different guy," according to defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard -- and should return to practice soon after suffering a minor hamstring injury in last week's scrimmage. Reed and Arnold have been alternating between playing the boundary and the wide side of the field, "so that when we get in the season, if we want to match with receivers based on body sizes or whatever, we can, and we’ve got practice at it," said Reed.
Reed nearly signed with the team that knocked the Lions out of the playoffs last season. He ultimately chose Detroit over Washington after being drawn to the Lions' defense on tape and hearing former teammates like Jamal Adams, who played here last year, rave about the culture in Allen Park. Asked what suits him about his new team, Reed said, "The head coach. Coach Campbell. I would say that, first and foremost."
"And I would also say the staff that he has hired. Everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s here to help you be the best version of yourself, and it’s not like that in many places, to be honest with you. Anything I need, they’ll take care of me, whether it’s treatment, nutrition, weight room, everybody wants me to be the best version of myself. And I absolutely love that," said Reed.
The Lions, meanwhile, know exactly what they're getting in Reed, even if he's not as established across the league as a more decorated corner like Davis. He's sticky in coverage and fearless as a tackler. He plays much bigger than his 5'9 frame. He prevented another touchdown in last week's scrimmage on a snap near the goal line when he flew into the fray in run support and took down Gibbs. It was exactly the sort of tackle the Lions demand out of their corners.
When he's not chasing Gibbs and Williams around the field, Reed's chasing his own kids. He and his wife just welcomed their third child, a daughter, giving them three under three. ("Night nurses and nannies on deck!") His days and his heart are full. When he's done with practice each morning, "I literally go home and just chill with them and go to sleep," Reed smiled. His transition to Detroit, he said, has "been beautiful."
"Not just with football, but with my family. I’m at a point in my career where I’m just grateful to still be playing football and to be playing it at a high level, in a good environment — in a great environment," said Reed. "The goal is to play for something. The goal is to win a Super Bowl."