Replacing a veteran and team leader is never an easy task. But Chiefs safety Justin Reid is quickly earning his stripes with his new team.
This offseason, the Chiefs signed the veteran to a three-year, $31.5 million contract to replace Tyrann Mathieu at the back end of the defense. Departing with a popular player like Mathieu, who helped the Chiefs win a Super Bowl, is always tough. But Reid is already making his own mark on the Chiefs defense with his own style of leadership.
“You got to earn it,” Reid said recently at Chiefs OTAs. “And you earn it every day. Like, you go out there and you want to be the guy, especially in my role on the back end to make all the calls, be confident in your calls, have the trust of your teammates so your teammates know you’re going to be where you’re going to be and you’re going to handle your responsibility on the field.
“That’s what comes first. And your leaders need to be your best players, but your best players also have to be your hardest workers. So I live by that.”
One of the draws to Kansas City, Reid said, was the team’s style of play under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
“I think that’s because the defense is so versatile,” Reid said. “And not only do we have like 100 plays where not only can we just game plan and pick and choose what weapons we want to use on opponents in the future, but also taking advantage of the opportunities like this where we get to play against our offense, which is undoubtably one of the most firepower-stacked offenses in the league.
“So when you get to play against those guys every day — iron sharpening iron — it makes the whole team better.”
At 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, Reid’s athleticism and versatility also make him a good fit for the Chiefs.
“You get to do a little bit of everything,” he said. “You’re not just playing D. You get to play a little bit of man coverage, zone, you get to blitz inside, you get to blitz outside. You get to do spin coverages. Sometimes the linebackers and safeties are trading responsibilities and the corners and safeties are trading responsibilities, guys are going all over the place, and it’s really hard to get a read.
“I remember back in Houston it was really difficult to game plan when I was listening to our offensive meeting talking about the defense that was being run here just because there’s so many different moving pieces that happen week to week. So now to be a part of it I got to see the system and how it works. And knowing that and having an opportunity to be put in position to play by the playbook and play on the defense that we’re coached to play, as long as you do your job, you’re going to have opportunities.”
Reid is also mentoring several rookies in the secondary, including first-round pick Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson and Nazeeh Johnson.
“The playbook here is very deep, and it’s deeper than what it was when I was a rookie in Houston,” Reid said. “And these guys have come along really well with it. The culture here is really good in the DB room. Guys ask questions, we’re not afraid to go and help each other. The unity is there, and like I said, Trent, Josh, Bryan, all those guys are doing a great job.”
And the Chiefs feel Reid is well on his way to winning over his teammates and fans, much like Mathieu did.
“I feel like I’m an energy guy and I believe strongly that you are what you put on tape,” Reid said. “So fans will get a chance to see us. We got a Sunday game (Week 1 at Arizona), then a Thursday game right after that (Chargers at Arrowhead). So they’re going to get a chance to see it.”