New Jet D.J. Reed motivated to prove he's a No. 1 cornerback

D.J. Reed believes he’s an All-Pro caliber cornerback and he wants to prove it with his new team.

Reed will get his chance.

The Jets officially signed Reed to a three-year, $33 million contract on Thursday to be their No. 1 corner. The 5-9 Reed is coming in with some added motivation because he feels he’s been overlooked the last couple of years with Seattle.

"Without a question, I feel like I’m CB1," Reed said via Zoom. "I think it’s obvious. People look at my height and say, ‘He’s a good CB2.’ No, if you watch my tape from last year and the year before that, it’s CB1.

"My stats compare to the All-Pros this year, to Jalen Ramsey, to A.J. Terrell to J.C. Jackson. My stats are right there with those guys. I’m going to take another step this year."

Reed, 25, was the first defensive player the Jets struck a deal with during free agency. He said he felt "disrespected" by what the Seahawks offered him and he’s "grateful" to be a Jet and reunite with coach Robert Saleh.

When Reed was drafted by San Francisco in the fifth round in 2018, Saleh was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator. Reed played two years for Saleh and said the coach has "an aura" and everyone respects him "because he’s real."

With Reed on one side, Bryce Hall and Brandin Echols will compete for the other starting corner job. Michael Carter II is expected to be the nickelback. Reed played nickel corner earlier in his career and became a starting cornerback with the Seahawks, who claimed him off waivers in 2020.

Reed started 22 games over the past two seasons. He had 78 tackles, two interceptions, one fumble recovery and 10 passes defended in 14 games for the Seahawks last season.

The ultra-confident Reed never doubted his time would come.

"I knew I was gifted in high school, even when I had no [college] offers," Reed said. "I knew that I was special. I knew that God created me as his masterpiece. I knew that my work ethic was unmatched. I knew that God blessed me with certain traits that I have that translate great to the football field.

"I’ve always been confident in my story. I’m still writing it. Everything I’ve accomplished to this point is giving me even more confidence. Like God’s shown me, ‘Never give up. Keep going DJ and I’m going to keep blessing you.’ I have the utmost confidence. That’s a big reason why I’m a good corner."

The Jets also made the signings of right guard Laken Tomlinson, tight end C.J Uzomah and safety Jordan Whitehead official on Thursday. Reed and Whitehead will be big parts of the Jets’ secondary that definitely needed upgrades and more experience.

Reed and Whitehead already have hit it off. Reed liked one of Whitehead’s tweets before they became teammates. After they both agreed to join the Jets, they started tweeting at each other.

"It’s funny because I don’t know him, but I know when I see a dog on tape," Reed said. "He posted something on Twitter before free agency. Even before we both came here, I liked it. I favorited it. Dog respects dog. I know he’s a dog. He’s got that different kind of mindset. I already can tell just from the tape. We kind of hit it off on Twitter. I’m getting to play with a dog. It’s going to be fun. I can’t wait to get in and work with him."

Reed played with former Jets safety Jamal Adams the last two years and became close with him. He said he learned a lot from Adams, whose time with the Jets didn’t end well. But Reed said he heard from Adams after getting his deal with the Jets.

"Jamal is a great football player and he’s a great dude," Reed said. "When I signed with the Jets, he hit me up and said, ‘Congratulations bro. Like, you’re going to love it there. He was like, ‘It’s love in New York, bro.’ We had a great convo."