KC Chiefs: Three free agent safeties to consider
By Josh Fann
Justin Reid
If the Chiefs want to inject more talent into the safety position but don’t quite want to go all out and pay a player like Marcus Williams or Jessie Bates if he were for some reason to make it to free agency, Justin Reid is a good quality safety who won’t break the bank.
Reid spend his first four seasons in the NFL with the Houston Texans where he compiled 315 total tackles, 23 passes defended, 7 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries. Reid is always around the ball and making plays and is another younger option (you’ll notice that theme throughout) at 25 years old but still offers plenty of experience at the NFL level.
Reid may not be as big of a hitter as Marcus Williams but he also embraces tackling and doesn’t back down against bigger opponents. Furthermore, Reid is smart with his coverage so he has the potential to be one of the best deals of free agency if a team was able to get him for $12-$13 million per year. Really, Reid has been one of the better young safeties in the league but his impact maybe isn’t felt as much because he has been stuck on a dysfunctional Texans team.
Reid can line up at free or strong safety and possess all sorts of athletic traits that allow him to match up well with elite competition. Reid’s long speed makes him a feasible option on the back end of the defense which is important given Juan Thornhill may never quite get back to his rookie year form and could benefit by playing more of that honey badger role like he did in week one of 2021 when he filled in for Tyrann Mathieu.