It is predicted that a new Lions player will “sabotage” the team.

mentioning the Beastie Boys in this context. We’re talking about the Detroit Lions and their forthcoming 2025–2026 campaign. Although the Detroit Lions appear to be in a strong position going into the upcoming season, there are still some unanswered questions. In the main, quarterback Jared Goff and the team will probably need some time to adjust to their new leaders because they have a completely new coaching staff. One can never be sure, but perhaps there won’t be many growing pains.

Like most NFL clubs, the Lions have employed musical chairs throughout the offseason, bringing in certain players while cutting others. Now, there’s a chance that one squad addition could end up being a long-term issue for the Lions. Although I hope that’s not the case, there seems to be some concern with this specific guy.

The Detroit Lions had a number of concerning problems heading into the offseason, including the retirement of Frank Ragnow and the hiring of new defensive and offensive coordinators Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson. The team’s defense will greatly benefit from Aidan Hutchinson’s anticipated return from his season-ending injury from the previous year.

In the summer, the Lions also signed D.J. Reed, a former cornerback for the New York Jets, to a three-year, $48 million contract. However, in an article for Detroit Rock City published on Sunday, July 6, Joe Summers states that “Reed may unintentionally wind up sabotaging the team from within.”

Let Summers clarify it before you go crazy with that claim. He points out that Reed finished 42nd out of 222 qualified cornerbacks at Pro Football Focus the previous season, so this isn’t exactly a criticism of him. Instead, it serves as a warning about the nature of the job and the short lifespan of primes.

Summers continues by pointing out that Reed will reach 29 this season, which is often when their numbers start to decline. “As an example, we can look to players like L’Jarius Sneed, a struggling Tennessee Titan and former Kansas City Chiefs star,” he argues. “Even though Reed’s passer rating when targeted in coverage was only 87.1, it was his lowest since 2019.” Even though he is still a great cornerback, it is dangerous to have so much money invested in him when you need to improve the secondary.

According to Summers, Reed is anticipated to start, and his playing time may actually impede the growth of players like Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. It makes obvious that signing Reed could ultimately prove to be a mistake if his starting does hinder the growth of any of the other younger players.This offseason, the Lions’ margin for error shrank significantly, according to Summers, and Reed will now have to play like a top corner to justify his contract.