Here's what it would cost the New York Jets if they wanted to extend cornerback D.J. Reed

Robert Saleh has made quick work of turning New York’s defense into one of the best in the league, returning Gang Green to a level of defensive dominance reminiscent of the Rex Ryan days.

Ryan’s defense was once anchored by two standout cornerbacks, when shutdown cornerback Darrelle Revis split the field with the ball-hawking Antonio Cromartie. Saleh has a chance to replicate this formula, but with a twist. Sauce Gardner may have a ceiling as high as Revis’, but his counterpart D.J. Reed doesn’t have the knack for takeaways Cromartie had; rather, he’s a respectable shutdown cornerback in his own right.

Despite his fifth round pedigree, Reed has found success at the NFL level with multiple teams. He had a strong start with the 49ers, showing flashes of potential as a rotational player in his first two seasons. However, Saleh admitted they saw him as a nickel safety at the time, and ended up trying to sneak him through waivers at the end of his third training camp. The Seahawks swooped in and plucked him from the waiver wire, preventing the 49ers from stashing him on their practice squad when injuries had forced them to make some tough cutdown-day decisions to field their active roster.

After taking the first half of the 2020 season to recover from a pectoral injury, Reed earned a starting spot on the Seahawks defense and has been a standout defender since. After another solid year in 2021, Saleh made amends for parting with Reed in San Francisco by signing him to a three year, $33 million contract with the Jets. The reunion has served them both very, very well.

Reed has been incredibly reliable at limiting his assignment's catch rate, touchdowns allowed, and yards allowed per coverage rep. What makes this even more notable is that although Gardner is a true lockdown corner, the Jets scheme typically restricts Sauce from shadowing his opponents’ WR1. This puts a huge target on Reed’s side of the field as offensive coordinators try to scheme away from the opportunistic cornerback.

Yet, Reed’s success is on-par with other standout cornerbacks like Jaylon Johnson and James Bradberry. In fact, Reed is responsible for less than half of the touchdowns allowed over the last three years as either one of those cornerbacks were in the three years preceding their extensions. His success while thriving in this role with the Jets makes him a key component for a team heavily leveraged for immediate success.