Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been named as the best landing spot for free agent cornerback D.J. Reed by Pro Football Focus. Reed is PFF’s No. 6 overall free agent and their top ranked corner.
Cornerback is considered a top need for the Steelers this offseason, especially as cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Cam Sutton declined late in the year, and are among the team’s 24 pending free agents.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers, who rely heavily on their corners in closed coverages—the highest rate in the NFL this past season—would be a natural fit for Reed,” Mason Cameron of PFF wrote. “Pairing him with rising star Joey Porter Jr. could solidify their secondary and enable the Steelers to maintain their aggressive defensive identity.”
Reed enters free agency after notching his sixth straight season with an overall grade above 70.0, according to PFF.
Reed, 28, was a fifth-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2018. After two years in San Francisco, he was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Seahawks and surpassed Quinton Dunbar in the starting lineup. He initially received playing time due an injury by Dunbar, but the coaching staff was so impressed with Reed’s play that they kept him as a starter.
On March 17, 2022, Reed cashed in with a three-year, $33 million contract with the New York Jets. After a banner year in 2024, it’s expected that Reed will get a nice payday in this year’s free agency cycle.
“In 2024, he recorded a 51.28% lockdown rate, continuing a trend of standout play that defined his time in New York, where he ranked in the 91st percentile among outside cornerbacks over three seasons,” Cameron wrote.
The Steelers rolled over $6.8 million in cap space from the 2024 season, and while there is not yet an official salary cap number for the 2025 season, Over The Cap’s estimate of $272.5 million would give the Steelers over $40 million in salary cap space as they move forward into the offseason.
If the Steelers want Reed, they certainly have the cap space to do so.
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