Since making his Seahawks debut midway through the season, cornerback D.J. Reed has made himself an invaluable part of the team thanks to his versatility.
Reed, whom the Seahawks claimed this summer after he was waived as injured by San Francisco, made his Seattle debut against his former team earlier this year, playing the nickel corner spot in place of an injured Ugo Amadi. After two games in that role, Reed started at left cornerback when Shaquill Griffin was out, then moved to right cornerback with Tre Flowers and Quinton Dunbar both sidelined by injuries. Reed, a 2018 fifth-round pick of the 49ers, has also handled punt return duties in the past two games, and has returned kickoffs at times as well.
But for all of his versatility, Reed is looking more and more like he might be somebody the Seahawks can't take out of the lineup regardless of who's available, and that was never more evident than in Sunday's 20-15 win at Washington.
With Reed frequently covering Washington's leading receiver, Terry McLaurin, he was targeted several times, and more often than not, the ball ended up on the ground when it came his direction. In addition to a first-half interception, Reed also had three passes defensed, including a pass breakup in the end zone on a pass intended for McLaurin, as well as six tackles. It was just the latest bigtime performance for a player who, at 5-foot-9, hardly fits the profile of an outside cornerback in Seattle's defense, but who is proving that talent and an oversized chip on the shoulder can sometimes trump measurables.
"I love it out there," Reed said. "That's what I play my whole life, played it in college at a high level. Being 5-9, it's a statement for me, because corners that are 5-9 are not corners anymore, they're playing the slot, so I feel like I've got to make a statement."
Having been a fifth-round pick despite a standout career at Kansas State, and having being exposed to waivers by the 49ers, who were hoping to stash him for the season with a torn pectoral muscle—had he gone unclaimed, Reed would have reverted to San Francisco's injured reserve list and missed the entire season—Reed has plenty of motivation to prove himself now that he's getting this chance.
"I'll have a chip on my shoulder forever," Reed said. "For real, it's heavy. Honestly, I came into the game pretty angry, pissed off just because. I knew they were going to try me, I knew I was guarding 17 (McLaurin). I came into the game with that chip on my shoulder and I just let it out, talking, all that, I had fun out there."
After another strong performance from Reed, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the newcomer has a good chance to hang onto that job for at least another week despite Flowers and perhaps Dunbar returning from their injuries.
"He's playing good football," Carroll said. "I like all the activity and the consistency that he's shown, and he's tackling pretty well. He's just a playmaker. He has the lead to hold that spot at least going into this week. We should get Tre back this week. Quinton practiced all last week. He should be in better shape for this week, we'll see how that all works out. We're getting stronger."
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December 21, 2020 at 02:53PM
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