Three unsung Seahawks that will help the most in 2021
By Lee Vowell
D.J. Reed
D.J. Reed didn’t even need to play this preseason. He showed enough in the last half of 2020 to have the Seahawks pencil him in as a starting cornerback. Reed was quick, covered well and, most importantly, made plays. Last year in 10 games and 8 starts, Reed had a quarterback-rating-allowed of 75.8 (which is very good), 7 passes defended, 2 interceptions and 62 tackles.
Yes, 62 tackles. For a defensive back in just 10 games playing and 49 percent of the overall snaps, that number of tackles is a ridiculous amount. Twice Reed had 10 tackles or more in a game. And that was early in his Seahawks career. After that he had fewer tackles.
Why? Because teams stopped throwing his way as much. But in an important week 15 victory over the Washington Football Team, Reed had an interception and forced fumble and helped change the outcome of the game.
It could be that Reed was a great find by John Schneider after Reed was released by the 49ers last season but he never makes a Pro Bowl. However, there is also a good chance that Reed plays like a Pro Blower anyway and helps Seattle win a lot of games.