New Lions Player Predicted to ‘Sabotage’ the Team

 
Getty

"Sabotage" is only a good word in the context of a Beastie Boys song, but one Detroit Lions player is being predicted to sabotage the team.
“Sabotage” is a strong and negative word, unless, of course, it’s in the context of a Beastie Boys song. But, we’re not talking about the Beastie Boys here. We’re discussing the Detroit Lions and the team’s upcoming 2025-26 season.

The Detroit Lions are looking fairly solid heading into the new season, but there are certainly some question marks for the team. Mainly, they have an entirely new coaching staff, so it will likely take some time for quarterback Jared Goff and the crew to get used to their new leaders. Hopefully there aren’t too many growing pains, but one can never be sure.

The Lions have done some musical chairs during the offseason, as have most teams in the NFL, and brought in some players while parting with others. Now, it’s possible that one addition to the team could be a problem for the Lions in the long run. Hopefully that’s not the case, but there is a little alarm sounding about this particular player.

 
Fresh Lions Addition Could Be a Problem
The Detroit Lions went into the offseason with some troubling issues, including losing Frank Ragnow to retirement and both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to new gigs. But, they’ve also had some good news, in that Aidan Hutchinson should be back from his season-ending injury last season, and that will be a huge boost to the team’s defense.

During the offseason, the Lions also inked former New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed to a three-year, $48 million contract during free agency. But, in a piece published by Joe Summers on Sunday, July 6, for Detroit Rock City, he says that “Reed may accidentally wind up sabotaging the team from within.”

Before you go nuts with that assertion, let Summers explain. “This isn’t so much an indictment of Reed, who ranked 42nd out of 222 qualified cornerbacks at Pro Football Focus last season,” he notes. “Rather, it’s a cautionary tale about the nature of the position and how quickly primes can fade.”

From there, Summers notes that Reed will turn 29 this season, which is usually the time when corners start going down in their numbers. “We can look to players like former Kansas City Chiefs star and current struggling Tennessee Titan L’Jarius Sneed as an example,” he says. “Though Reed only gave up an 87.1 passer rating when targeted in coverage, that was his worst mark since 2019. He might still be an excellent corner, but it’s risky to have so much invested in him when you need to turn things around in the secondary.”

 
New Player Could Hinder the Growth of Others in Detroit
So, Summers notes that Reed is expected to start, and his time on the field may actually hinder the development of guys like Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. If Reed starting does slow the development of any of the other newer players, it makes sense that for the long run, it could be a mistake to have signed him.

“The Lions’ margin for error got a lot smaller this offseason,” Summers states, “and now Reed will need to perform like a top-tier corner to make his contract worth it.”

There’s no need to get too down on Reed or the Lions, though. It always helps to have a veteran on board, so as long as the Lions continue to develop their newer players, there will really be no harm done.
Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter for Heavy Sports covering the NFL, NBA and college football. Anne Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson