Seahawks sign D.J. Reed from 49ers to likely be a returner

The Seahawks signed defensive back D.J. Reed one day after he was released from the 49ers. But he could be more of a kick returner than a DB in Seattle.

Now-former 49ers defensive back D.J. Reed was signed by the Seahawks on Wednesday. But Reed will likely play until November after recovering from a torn pectoral muscle. This is why the 49ers Reed as they need to clear roster spots for other players. But Seattle might see more in Reed than meets the eye.

A 2018 fifth-round choice out of Kansas State, Reed has played in 31 games for the 49ers since being picked. In college, he was a first-team All-Big 12 player as both a defensive back and a return specialist. The last part of that being maybe the most important.

The Seahawks have another player on the roster out of Kansas State and that, of course, is Tyler Lockett. Both Lockett and Reed were very good kick returners in college. Lockett was excellent in doing the same early in his career with the Seahawks. Reed did a bit of that in 2018 and was good.

Kicks and punts

Last year, Reed returned no kicks or punts. But that doesn’t matter to the Seahawks. The reason is that Reed returned 11 kicks in 2018 and averaged a whopping 30.2 yards a return, including one touchdown. Usually, a player who can return kicks in college can also do a decent job in the NFL.

The Seahawks have been looking for a full-time replacement to returning kicks ever since Lockett proved how good of a receiver he could be. Lockett is more important there than on special teams and keeping him healthy is important.

Sure, Reed won’t be back for most of 2020. But he also won’t hold up an active 53-man roster spot, just one on the 80-man roster. This means when he can return to the field it will likely be as a kick returner for Seattle and a backup defensive back.