With the Pittsburgh Steelers having a need at cornerback and a decent crop of cornerbacks expected to hit the free agency market, Pittsburgh may look to address the position with a veteran rather than an early draft pick. One potential name the Steelers could look to would be D.J. Reed, who Connor Hughes of SNY reports isn’t expected to return to the Jets.
“Tight end Tyler Conklin isn’t expected to return. Neither is cornerback D.J. Reed, who one team told me was their top-ranked cornerback entering free agency,” Hughes wrote.
Reed is one of the top corners in free agency and he’ll be paid like it, with PFF projecting a three-year, $42 million contract with $27.5 million guaranteed. Reed began his career with the San Francisco 49ers and also had a stop with the Seattle Seahawks, but he took his game to the next level with the Jets. Since joining New York in 2022, Reed has two interceptions and 32 passes defensed, with at least nine passes defensed in each season.
2024 was his sixth-straight season with a grade of 70 or better from PFF, and his 70.1 coverage grade in 2024 ranked 31st in the league among cornerbacks. ESPN’s Aaron Schatz predicted Reed would sign with the Steelers this offseason, and with Donte Jackson set to be a free agent, Reed would be an ideal replacement and give Pittsburgh two solid cornerbacks on the outside with him and Joey Porter Jr.
There’s a number of intriguing corners set to be free agents, including Charvarious Ward of the San Francisco 49ers and Nate Hobbs of the Las Vegas Raiders, and with Pittsburgh having roughly $60 million in available cap space, the team can look at the top of the cornerback market and potentially make a splash.
Pittsburgh’s secondary struggled with communication issues down the stretch, which was a key factor in the team’s five-game losing streak to end the season. Upgrading the secondary will be important this offseason, and with a good free agency class, it’s a position the team can allocate resources to in free agency while looking at positions like defensive line and running back which are deeper in the draft.
D.J. Reed would come to the Steelers at just 28 years old (he’ll be 29 in November) and a three-year term would likely be something Pittsburgh would be amenable to given that he’s still relatively young. With the Jets not expected to re-sign him, he’ll be one of the most sought after corners in free agency and the Steelers will likely express some interest when the legal tampering period opens a week from tomorrow.
