From earlier this month but some more filler while we wait for training camp to kick off.
There is more at the link than this, much of which has been covered.
# Lions observations: Kelvin Sheppard adjusts, adapts and won’t be as stubborn
D.J. Reed’s burst is back
When the Lions signed D.J. Reed to a three-year, $48 million contract last offseason, they believed they were getting one of the NFL’s steadiest cornerbacks, capable of playing like a pseudo No. 1 defender. They had no reason to think otherwise. After all, that’s what he’d been throughout his career.
But that’s not what they got. Reed had a down year, making him an easy target of criticism.
However, when you peel back the curtains of his 2025 season, you realize some grace might be required.
Reed was playing good football through the first month or so of the season, until a hamstring injury suffered against the Browns in Week 4 threatened to derail his season. Reed said he thought surgery would be required to repair the strained hamstring, which likely would’ve ended his season. Tests later revealed it wasn’t as bad as he initially believed. Still, it was enough to keep him out of six games.
What followed was Reed doing his best to gut it out for his team at a reduced level. He said it felt like he had to re-learn how to walk and run, then do it all backwards while guarding the best receivers in the league. He said his technique felt good, but his burst didn’t return as quickly as he would’ve liked. The lack of long speed showed when he returned. He allowed a passer rating when targeted of 131.9 and 18.9 yards per reception from Weeks 12-18.
Reed wasn’t himself. He and the Lions expect a return to form in 2026.
“I would say the main goal for me is just to stay healthy,” Reed said. “And that’s just doing my system, just hydrating, getting the right amount of sleep, just doing everything I can control. This offseason, I did a lot as far as treatment regarding the hamstring, just to get back to where I needed to be. I went to Panama and got some stem cells, and just rehabbing during the offseason and training. It feels good, but it’s something that you gotta keep continuing to work out and rehab.”
Reed said his burst is back. He’s been available for all three of the open OTA practices. And while the hamstring is no longer an issue, he’s taking matters into his own hands, opting for preventative measures this time around.
Reed knows the type of player the Lions need him to be. If he can provide the sort of play he did in New York, the Lions will be better off for it.
