The Detroit Lions added to their cornerback room with a major free agent signing this offseason, as the team signed D.J. Reed to a three-year deal worth $48 million with $30 million guaranteed.
Reed rose to prominence during his time with the New York Jets, as he formed one of the best cornerback duos in football with Sauce Gardner and was a reliable starter for New York. The 28-year-old now heads to Detroit, where he will serve as a starter on Kelvin Sheppard’s defense and provide adequate play opposite Terrion Arnold, who posted a promising rookie campaign in 2024.
Though paying Reed $16 million annually is risky, as he did have a down year in 2024 and is getting older, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport believes general manager Brad Holmes’ decision to add Reed was one of the better moves of the 2025 NFL offseason.
“For all the things the Detroit Lions did well last year, defending the pass wasn’t one of them—they were dead-last in the NFC in pass defense in 2024. With cornerback Carlton Davis III bolting in free agency, they badly needed a replacement. Not only did they get one in Reed, they also got an upgrade; the last time he had a passer rating against of 90 was 2019,” Davenport wrote.
Reed will replace Carlton Davis as the starter opposite Arnold, as Davis left for the New England Patriots in free agency. Though Reed is a downgrade over Davis based on 2024 play, the former fifth-round pick was a high-level starting corner in 2022 and 2023 and should be able to recapture that play with a change of scenery in Detroit.
The Lions have done a wonderful job building through the draft and using free agency to find the finishing pieces. If Reed can be a difference-maker for Dan Campbell’s squad and help Detroit capture their first Super Bowl win, he’ll be viewed as one of the best free agent signings in franchise history.
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