Countdown to Kickoff: Justin Reid is the Saints Player of Day 21
NFL regular season play begins in less than three weeks, with the New Orleans Saints hosting the Arizona Cardinals for their opener in 21 days. One of the team's new faces, Justin Reid, wears No. 21 for New Orleans. A prized free-agent pickup, Reid is expected to play a major role in the team's defensive backfield. A local product, he's also our selection for Saints Player of the Day.
A star at Dutchtown High School in Louisiana, Reid migrated to the Pacific coast with his collegiate choice of Stanford. He saw fairly limited time as a freshman in 2015, though he did have an interception. Reid got far more playing time the following year and responded with 7 pass breakups and 4 tackles for loss. His breakout year was 2016, when his 5 interceptions led the Pac-12 conference. Reid also had a sack and 7 stops for loss among his 99 total tackles, leading to a 1st Team All-Pac-12 selection.
After declaring early for the NFL draft, the Houston Texans took Reid off the board as an early Round 3 choice. He'd begin his career with Houston as the third safety, but wound up starting 12 of his 16 game appearances as a rookie. Reid had 3 interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, along with 10 passes broken up, 2 fumble recoveries, and 88 tackles. He was entrenched as a starter by the following season and for four years was one of Houston's most reliable defenders. With the Texans, Reid had 7 interceptions, broke up 23 passes, had 2 sacks, and averaged nearly 80 tackles per year.
Reid would sign with the Kansas City Chiefs during 2022 free agency. He started all 17 contests for a Chiefs squad that went on to win Super Bowl LVII, recording 83 tackles with a sack and 7 passes broken up. Reid was an even bigger factor for a second-ranked Kansas City defense that led the team to another title in Super Bowl LVIII. That year, Reid had 1 interception to go along with 7 passes broken up, 3 sacks, and a career-best 95 tackles. He was just as effective last year for the Chiefs on their way to a third straight AFC title. Reid's contribution that year was 2 interceptions, 9 passes broken up, and 5 tackles for loss among his 87 total stops.
New Orleans brought Reid back to his home state this offseason with a three-year contract. With the sudden retirement of Tyrann Mathieu at the start of training camp, Reid will likely also be the leader in the defensive backfield. Interestingly, this is the third time that Justin Reid is replacing Tyrann Mathieu. The two played together for Reid's rookie year with Houston before Mathieu departed for Kansas City. When Mathieu left the Chiefs in 2022 to sign with New Orleans, Kansas City signed Reid as a replacement. Now, Justin Reid looks to be a part of a Saints defense hoping for significant improvement after last year's disappointing efforts.
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