NY Jets CB D.J. Reed had to get creative to watch 'Hard Knocks'

The NY Jets made their debut on the 2023 edition of HBO's "Hard Knocks" this week, and for cornerback D.J. Reed, there was no way he was going to miss it.

Unfortunately, Reed was with the Jets down in Spartanburg, SC, as the team participated in joint practices with the Carolina Panthers. Reed's hotel didn't have access to HBO's streaming platform, Max, so he was forced to get creative in order to watch the show.

Reed told reporters on Thursday that he FaceTimed his wife and had her flip the camera to the TV so he could watch the episode. That's some serious dedication on the part of both Reed and his wife.

It wasn't perfect, though. Reed joked about his wife's hand getting tired and how she paused the episode to text on a number of occasions. They still made it work, though. Reed was determined to see the episode.

"So I watched it like that. But it was cool, though. I was like, ‘Dang, they did a good job.’ But I probably got to rewatch it because I didn’t get everything. Sometimes she was pausing it because she wanted to text."

- D.J. Reed

"Hard Knocks" did an excellent job of capturing the level of excitement surrounding the Jets entering the 2023 season. The addition of Aaron Rodgers has undoubtedly spearheaded the attitude change within the organization, but he's not the only reason for optimism.

The Jets have an exciting young core featuring budding stars like Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Quinnen Williams, Breece Hall, and numerous others. Reed is absolutely an important part of that core.

The 26-year-old cornerback was outstanding in his first season with the Jets in 2022. Reed finished with a 77.5 Pro Football Focus coverage grade that ranked 10th among all qualified cornerbacks.

While Gardner received most of the attention, Reed was quietly one of the best cornerbacks in football as well. He deserves just as much praise as any player on the Jets defense.

Perhaps the NFL Films crew and "Hard Knocks" could even highlight Reed more in the coming episodes. And maybe next time he'll have the opportunity to watch the show from the comfort of his own home instead of through FaceTime.

I'm sure his wife would appreciate that too.