D.J. Reed a perfect fit for Lions on 3-year, $48 million contract

The Detroit Lions landed one of the best free agent corners on the market on Monday, signing D.J. Reed to a three-year, $48 million contract, according to RJ Kraft and Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

Reed, 28, has spent the past three years with the Jets, and spent two years with both the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.

The Lions needed help in the secondary after the departure of Carlton Davis, and they got one of the best options they possibly could, even if it was a pretty pricey contract for them at roughly $16 million a year.

Reed isn't a superstar, but he's been a reliable, consistent performer for the majority of his career. The Lions play a LOT of man defense in the secondary, as a result of their high blitz rates, and Reed rated 28th out of all corners playing man last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He's a great fit in the defense, with the size and coverage skills to slot in across from Terrion Arnold and strengthen a defense that ranked 30th in passing yards allowed last season.

On top of that, Reed's arrival takes pressure off of Detroit's still developing young corners in Ennis Rakestraw and Amik Robinson, who will likely split time at nickelback. Both have potential, and showed some promise last year, but they also got burned on several occasions, and need more time to fully develop and become consistent reliable performers. Reed's presence in the secondary gives them exactly that.

The Lions' championship window is right now. They have one of the NFL's most exciting offenses and a defense that showed promise in a lot of areas before injuries absolutely decimated them down the stretch. The time to take big swings to patch holes is now, and Reed represents an effort to do just that.

Given his skill set and the style of defense the Lions play, you couldn't ask for a better match.

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