A Trendsetter and Tradition Breaker, D.J. Reed Ushering in New Era of Cornerback Play With Seahawks
Speaking with CBS Sports Network s Jim Rome, Reed offered insight into his breakout season and how he plans to further that momentum into 2021.
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May 30, 2021
Tumbling down an historically poor slope on defense through the first half of the 2020 NFL season, with injuries continuing to mount up, the Seahawks broke the trend that made them an icon in the mid 2010s. Once changing the NFL landscape with outside cornerbacks boasting heights north of six-feet tall and arms of 32 inches or more, they pivoted to the complete opposite end of the spectrum for the 5-foot-9 D.J. Reed in need of a spark.
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Had the 2017 draft played out differently, Ahkello Witherspoon might have began his career as a member of the Seahawks.
Pete Carroll was a fan of the cornerback s game coming out of Colorado, and the Seahawks brought Witherspoon in for a pre-draft visit, but if Seattle was hoping to get him in the third round or later, they missed their chance with the 49ers selecting him with the second pick of the third round.
Four years later, however, Witherspoon is a Seahawk, having signed with Seattle in free agency earlier this spring, and he called the decision kind of a no-brainer given his familiarity with the organization, the style of Seattle s defense, and the city s relative proximity to his hometown of Sacramento.
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The NFL offseason has entered yet another stage.
We ve gone through the frenzy of free agency. The drama of the NFL draft. The revelry of rookie minicamp (OK, that one was a stretch). And now it s time for the outstandingness of organized team activities.
And…I broke alliteration.
Kidding aside, it s an important time for NFL teams: The first gathering of new arrivals and old standbys. For rookie players, it s the first opportunity to interact on the practice field with their veteran counterparts. For new coaches, it s the first chance to install new schemes and put their stamp on a franchise.