Grading every move the NY Jets made in the first wave of free agency

D.J. Reed, CB, NY Jets: 3 years, $33 million

The Jets hit two home runs in free agency addressing their secondary.

Cornerback D.J. Reed is the perfect fit for the Jets' defensive scheme. It's rare in free agency that you can sign players who are still ascending. Often teams will sign players coming off career years that they'd be hard-pressed to match.

Reed, only 25-years old, has continuously gotten better every year that he's been in the league. He's coming off a fantastic 2021 campaign for the Seattle Seahawks.

Pro Football Focus had Reed graded as the ninth-best cornerback in the NFL last year. He allowed only a 67.8 passer rating. And despite his 5-foot-9 frame, Reed was one of the better cornerbacks in the open field against the run. 

A bonus is that Reed also has familiarity with Robert Saleh's defense from their time together early on in his career. Saleh is a big reason why Reed signed on with New York.

Reed is coming to Florham Park with a chip on his shoulder because of the lack of respect he received from his former team in free agency. Reed is out to prove that he is a CB1. The Jets are not signing someone content with their current status.

My only gripe with this signing is that the Jets could've signed Reed to a longer deal. Other than that, this was one of the better value signings by any team in free agency. The Jets got lucky that the Seahawks weren't sleepless in Seattle.

Grade: A+