PALM BEACH, Fla. – D.J. Reed got toasted on one of the plays that sold Dan Campbell on Reed as a fit for the Detroit Lions defense.
"They're playing, it was early in the year, it was crossover tape," Campbell said Tuesday at the NFL's annual spring meeting. "He got beat on the play. He actually got beat. And to watch him put his foot in the ground, kind of stumble out from one of the rare times you get beat, but you get beat at corner, right? That's part of this league.
"He gets beat, he puts his foot in the ground and I mean he is on an all out. He doesn't have time to think about it, recover. He's just on a beeline to try to angle this guy off. And I thought that was one of the most impressive things, man. This guy, he doesn’t go in the tank. He's not worried about what it looks like. He's just trying to compete and win and he lines up and goes back for more. And that says it all."
The Lions signed Reed to a three-year, $48 million contract at the start of free agency to be their No. 1 cornerback after Carlton Davis III left to sign with the New England Patriots.
Reed had 11 pass deflections in 14 games with the New York Jets last season and has started the vast majority of his seven-year NFL career as an outside corner.
He projects to play that position with the Lions this fall, opposite of second-year cornerback Terrion Arnold, in a secondary that returns four of five starters. Arnold made 15 starts, had 10 pass deflections and led the league in pass interference penalties as a rookie. Amik Robertson played as the Lions' primary slot cornerback before moving outside because of an injury to Davis late in the year. And the Lions have one of the best safety tandems in the NFL in Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.
Campbell shared his thoughts on Reed and the Lions' other top free agent additions, defensive tackle Roy Lopez and linebacker Grant Stuard, on Tuesday and said all three ...
