Carlton Davis‘ free company defection (to the Patriots) won’t go unanswered for even an hour. The Lions have a deal in place with one other high-end free agent on the place.
D.J. Reed is heading from Aaron Glenn‘s present group to his former group, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Considered by many as the highest cornerback on this class, Reed secured $48M over three years. Though the Lions used first- and second-round picks on corners final 12 months, the group nonetheless prioritized a veteran to switch Davis.
PFR’s No. 9 general free agent, Reed rated as our prime nook out there. The three-year Sauce Gardner sidekick delivered stable work in New York, however the group has the All-Professional on its extension radar and gave Michael Carter a top-market slot deal final summer season. That left Reed set to discover the market, and he’ll land a second profitable deal in free company.
Reed, 28, has proven the worth of agreeing to a three-year deal throughout his first crack at free company. The previous 49ers and Seahawks contributor hit the market a second time and parlayed his age and efficiency right into a increase from the Lions. Reed, who won’t flip 30 till November 2026, performed out a three-year, $33M take care of the Jets.
Amongst boundary corners to begin not less than 10 video games final season, Reed ranked eleventh in yards per goal (6.4). The identical measurement in 2023 locations Reed (6.6) twelfth. Professional Soccer Focus ranked Reed sixteenth amongst CB regulars in 2023 and thirty first in 2024. Gardner soared to the All-Professional stage instantly, however Reed offered a stable complementary piece. He’ll now work reverse Terrion Arnold in Detroit, because the Lions will place a veteran CB deal in a secondary housing rookie contracts at nook and security (Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph).
The Lions are transitioning to a brand new DC for the primary time in Dan Campbell‘s run, however they ensured continuity in Kelvin Sheppard. Reed brings an vital piece for a Lions group that bumped into damage bother within the secondary — through Davis’ late-season damaged jaw — and alongside its defensive position. As Aidan Hutchinson makes his means again to a group that can also be hoping Marcus Davenport shakes his latest string of accidents, Sheppard’s secondary may very well be an imposing one in 2025.
