Lions CB D.J. Reed: Can 13th Ranked Player Regain Explosiveness in 2026?

The Detroit Lions are hoping for a return to form from cornerback D.J. Reed in 2026.

Last year, the first of a three-year deal Reed signed with the Lions, was a bit underwhelming. It was mostly injury related, as Reed suffered a hamstring injury that sent him to injured reserve. He was limited to 11 games, and didn't have the same level of explosiveness after returning.

As he heads into 2026, he's at the top of the depth chart and the Lions are hoping he can be the shut down corner they need him to be at this stage of his career. That's why he comes in as the team's No. 13 most important player of the 2026 season.

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Why Reed is so important

Reed's importance lies with the fact that he is expected to be the team's top cornerback in a defensive scheme that has featured plenty of man-to-man coverage. Though he is relatively undersized, he has made a career out of physical and tough coverage.

Detroit asks a lot of its cornerbacks, both in coverage and in the run game. With the scheme geared heavily toward man coverage, the team needs to be able to count on players like Reed to handle their assignments on islands and allow the pass-rush to get home.

Reed is the veteran of the group, and with some uncertainty surrounding who could be starting opposite of him, it's important that he's consistent and reliable throughout the 2026 season.

Reed's strengths and weaknesses

While Reed's 5-foot-9 frame isn't exactly prototypical to play the boundary corner spot, he has carved out a nice career because of his coverage ability and toughness. He has traditionally been a good run defender in his career, as his PFF grade in that area has never been lower than 65.

His coverage ability has also been solid, as he has allowed a career passer rating of 82.6 on passes thrown his way throughout his eight-year career.

There are a couple of concerns for Reed heading into 2026. For one, he had stem-cell treatment in Panama for his hamstring injury. He admitted that the injury sapped him of some of his explosiveness, as he had to essentially relearn how to walk in his words and wasn't at his best late in the year.

Additionally, he has eight career interceptions. Though he had two for the Lions last year, he hasn't been able to have sustained success in this category and would help the team greatly if he was able to generate more takeaways in 2026.

What happens if Reed gets hurt?

Unfortunately, the Lions had to endure time without Reed last season. The Lions are deep at cornerback, and there looks to be a competition for the spot opposite of him. Among the competitors for that spot, and natural replacements if Reed were to go down, are Rock Ya-Sin, Ennis Rakestraw and Roger McCreary.

In the case of Ya-Sin and Rakestraw, it would be more natural for them to step into a boundary corner role behind Reed. However, McCreary appears to be set up to play the nickel position in Detroit's defense.

If Reed were to go down, it would likely be either Ya-Sin, Rakestraw or Terrion Arnold in to replace him depending on how the competition for the other spot shakes out.

Why we ranked Reed here

As the team's top cornerback, there is a natural need for Reed to provide high-level production for the defense. It will be important for him to step up in a big way and help the defense, both against the run and in coverage.

Detroit's secondary has been up and down over the past several years. While the team has gotten some high-level safety play recently, the cornerback group has left some to be desired. As a result, getting a strong year from Reed could certainly raise the team's ceiling.

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