Pete Carroll could bring the cornerback to Las Vegas
The Super Bowl is in the rearview mirror which means the 2025 NFL offseason is officially underway and free agency is steadily approaching. One of the Las Vegas Raiders’ biggest needs this spring is at cornerback.
While Jakorian Bennett was solid last season, Bennett only played in about half of the team’s games which makes him a young and unproven player at this stage. Also, Jack Jones struggled and proved incapable of fulfilling the CB1 role last fall while Decamerion Richardson is still a project. In other words, the Raiders could afford to add a starting corner in free agency.
Given his ties to Las Vegas’ new head coach Pete Carroll, one player to consider on the open market is D.J. Reed from the New York Jets.
Background:
Coming out of Kansas State, Reed was originally a fifth-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, he rarely saw the field in San Francisco, recording just under 500 defensive snaps in two seasons (via Pro Football Focus) before getting released with an injury designation at the beginning of training camp in 2020.
That’s when Reed linked up with Carroll as the Seattle Seahawks claimed the cornerback off of waivers. He ended up spending two seasons with the Seahawks, playing well and making a name for himself to earn a three-year, $33 million contract from the Jets during the 2022 offseason.
Pros:
Reed has been consistent and good throughout his career. He’s recorded over 600 snaps in each of the last five seasons and has earned PFF coverage grades in the 70s every year, bottoming out at 70.1 and reaching as high as 79.5. Additionally, the site has him responsible for no more than two touchdowns allowed in a single season (12 total) to go along with six interceptions and 36 pass breakups during his seven-year career.
That type of stability would be good for the Silver and Black’s young secondary.
Cons:
The veteran defensive back played on the other side of Sauce Gardner in New York, so he doesn’t have much experience filling the CB1 role that the Raiders are looking for. Also, at 5-foot-9 and 188 pounds, he lacks the prototypical size to fill that role. Additionally, Reed will turn 29 years old in November, meaning he might be nearing the end of or past the prime of his career.
So, what do you think? Should the Raiders make a run at Reed in free agency?
