The New York Jets stole D.J. Reed in free agency | Film Breakdown

The film suggests the NY Jets straight-up ‘stole’ D.J. Reed in free agency

The New York Jets entered the 2021 season with what looked to be a bottom-five cornerback unit in the NFL.

However, young players such as Bryce Hall, Michael Carter II and Brandin Echols did not buy into such an idea. They all played to or above expectations, leading to optimism about the group.

While acknowledging that the group exceeded expectations, proper perspective was still required, which meant the position still needed work, and Joe Douglas knew it. 

This made cornerback a major need going into the 2022 NFL offseason. Even though some will say that Robert Saleh’s system doesn’t value cornerbacks—which is a baffling statement—the CB need was nonetheless true.

Some bigger names were signed early on in free agency, but during the second wave, the Jets landed their guy in former Seattle Seahawks professional corner, D.J. Reed.

And yes, the Jets stole this guy in free agency, considering what he brings to the table and the contract that was agreed upon.

Reed, 25, also played under Saleh in San Francisco, so the familiarity is already there. The film breakdown showcases the rest of Reed’s overall package.

• Can Reed be CB1?
• How does he fit the system?
• Was he worth the money?
• Are fans underrating him?

These questions and many more are answered in this edition of Blewett’s Blitz. Plus, a list of strengths and weaknesses are listed below, as well as the full (member-only) film breakdown (over two hours in length).

YouTube clip and podcast episode

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

• Smart
• Very willing tackler
• Toughness
• Quick feet
• Lateral agility
• Fluidity
• Smooth hips
• Acceleration
• High effort player
• Short area quicknesses
• Quick to trigger
• Awareness
• Comfortable in zone
• Quick hands
• Ability to gear down
• Uses hands to stack well
• Does well splitting high/low while in cloud zone
• Ball skills
• Balance in pedal and shuffle
• Patience vs double moves
• Explosive out of breaks
• Plays overtop of routes well in off man
• Squeezes WRs to sideline
• Reroutes WRs
• Works to get hands-on during route stem
• Stacks blockers well
• Brings fight to blockers
• Stays square in off coverage pedal
• Changes up press punch tech
• Changes stance right before the snap (veteran move)
• Shows ability to get shuffles in during press reps
• Quick recognition of screens
• Quick to pass off/pick up threats in zone
• Plays with length into blockers

Weaknesses

• Size
• Contested catches vs big WRs
• Some reps showing over-aggressiveness
• Can be hoppy in press
• Some reps of inconsistent leverage/eyes in off-zone coverage
• Can give too much lateral ground when shuffling in zone
• Can get on heels in press
• Can give a little bit too much room underneath in off coverage
• Could have more consistent control when closing ground in the run game
• Hands can drop in press
• Gets caught peaking back at QB and losses WR in man cov
• Jump splits in press too often
• Some ankle tackling
• Can play in “no mans land”

Member-only D.J. Reed film breakdown (2:19:00 in length)

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