Justin Reid bulks up for second season with Kansas City Chiefs

One year ago at this time, Justin Reid was preparing to fill some big shoes. Now he's working on bulking up himself after more than living up to the role he was brought in to play for the Kansas City Chiefs.

It was the spring of 2022 that the Chiefs made a big free agent splash by signing Reid away from the Houston Texans to a lucrative three-year deal that spelled out significant changes to come in the team's secondary. Tyrann Mathieu was hitting the open market along with cornerback Charvarius Ward and a slew of young defensive backs would soon make their presence felt. But first, the Chiefs had to secure a new leader.

Stepping into Mathieu's former role in the secondary as leader, communicator, and well-rounded veteran is not an easy task, but Reid did everything the Chiefs asked of him and then some in his first season with the team. As the season progressed, Reid grew into the role that Steve Spagnuolo had for him and his production increased. By season's end, Reid was a consistently reliable veteran without any real weakness and the leader of the team's safety unit.

After a full year with the team, Reid now has a much better idea of what's in store for him in year two as the Chiefs begin their title defense. To that end, he's doing his part by bulking up significantly from a year ago, as he recently told NFL reporter Aaron Wilson. “The offseason is going good. I put on a couple of pounds. I’m about 215. I feel really good at it.”

The greater bulk should not only help Reid's anchor when tackling and allow him to be more physical with opponents, but it should also help with the rigors of a longer season. Players likely lose weight throughout the season knowing how much they are running on game days and Reid should be able to maintain a better playing weight by coming in a bit heavier.

The secondary will continue to change a bit this season, but the safeties should be even stronger this year While Juan Thornhill will be missed after signing with the Cleveland Browns, second-year safety Bryan Cook is tasked with stepping into his role while Mike Edwards, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is stepping in as the team's third safety. Behind them, fourth-round pick Chamarri Conner is a new versatile tackler ready to be developed at a number of spots and Deon Bush is back from last year as a special teams ace.