D.J.

Reed

Reed, a critical part of the Detroit secondary, will suit up for the first time since sustaining a serious hamstring injury in early October and landing on injured reserve. It’s not the best development for Jameis Winston and the Giants pass catchers. The Giants were massively run heavy in Week 11 against the Packers. Lions declared CB Terrion Arnold, RB Craig Reynolds, CB Nick Whiteside, DL Quinton Jefferson, and DL Mekhi Wingo inactive against New York.

Good thing, too, because the entire rest of the Lions defense found their way on to this report. Terrion Arnold (concussion), Kerby Joseph (knee) and Josh Paschal (back) were all ruled out. D.J. Reed (hamstring) and Amik Robertson (hamstring) are questionable. Both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith should see slight matchup uggrades given the CB injuries.

The Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett reports that Branch “worked out on the side during individual drills at practice Wednesday and had a noticeable limp as he left the locker room Thursday.” The Lions’ secondary could be extremely short-staffed against the Chiefs on Sunday night. Birkett notes that starting CBs, D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold, are out indefinitely with hamstring and shoulder injuries. The Lions placed backup CB Khalil Dorsey on injured reserve this week and No. 3 safety Avonte Maddox “showed up on the injury report Thursday with a hamstring injury.”

Fellow cornerback Terrion Arnold is also expected to miss significant time with a shoulder injury, leaving the team extremely shorthanded on the back end ahead of a Week 6 matchup with the Chiefs. Safety Kerby Joseph has been tending to a knee injury as well.

As expected, cornerback D.J. Reed was also listed as a DNP. He is a candidate for injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 4. With multiple starters in their secondary injured, the Lions look like a relatively easy defensive matchup for Week 5. Unfortunately for the Bengals, their offense doesn’t look remotely capable of taking advantage of such a situation.

Reed was carted from the field in Week 4’s victory, and could end up missing at least four games if placed on injured reserve. A key piece of the Lions defense, Reed has already logged 212 defensive snaps through four weeks, per PFF, and has one interception and two pass breakups on his 2025 resumé. We’ll likely get more clarity on Reed’s injury later in the week, but his absence would be a serious loss for the Lions, who continue to battle injuries to their defense.

The Lions found their replacement for Carlton Davis less than an hour after his signing with the Patriots was reported. Per FOX NFL’s Jordan Schultz, Reed’s contract includes $32 million guaranteed. With the Jets looking to get younger and fellow cornerback Sauce Gardner needing an extension, they chose not to re-sign Reed, allowing him to hit the open market. Reed broke up 11 passes and notched two TFLs plus a sack last year despite missing three games. He averaged 11 pass breakups during this three-year stint in New York.

Reed has reliably manned the Jets’ defensive-right side of the field since 2021. But with a potential extension incoming for Sauce Gardner, the team recognizes it must move on from the 28-year-old Reed. Reed is expected to be one of the better free agents on the market this offseason. A new deal for Gardner is not immediately imminent; he has one year remaining on his contract and the Jets hold a fifth-year option. The deal, whenever it arrives, is expected to reset the cornerback market. Hughes notes that the Jets are likely to re-sign slot defensive back Isaiah Oliver after a successful first season in New York. Oliver played under new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks with the 49ers in 2023.

Reed has dealt with concussions before, and he’ll need to get through the protocol in order to return. Brandin Echols is currently playing in Reed’s place.

Reed came into the game listed as a game-time decision after suffering a groin injury in the team’s Monday Night Football loss to the Bills. That said, the Jets get a new face in the locker room in the form of wide receiver Davante Adams, who will suit up for his new team just five days after being acquired via trade with the Raiders.