The Kansas City Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 14.
Ahead of their second clash of the season, Bleacher Report analyst Alex Ballentine proposed that LAC seek starting safety and senior team leader Justin Reid in 2025 NFL free agency. Unfortunately, this is a very real and plausible scenario if the Chargers decide to look for a more experienced back end player.
“[LAC defensive coordinator] Jesse Minter’s arrival has been a positive for a lot of the Chargers’ defensive personnel,” Ballentine started out by explaining: “The unit is playing much better than it did last year, and there are several individual players who have been beneficiaries of the change. [Safety] Alohi Gilman isn’t one of them. His PFF grade has ranked 80th out of the 89 players they’ve graded.”
“Justin Reid isn’t playing at an elite level,” said the NFL journalist, “but he’s a steady veteran who the Chargers could use. Minter’s defense has been at its best with three safeties on the field, so Derwin James can be free to make plays. Reid would allow them to do that.”
Should Chiefs Allow Justin Reid to Walk in 2025 NFL Free Agency? — Weighing the Pros & Cons of His Game
Reid has done nothing but help the Chiefs win Super Bowls since coming to Kansas City. Having said that, his own contributions have varied according to the individual areas of his game.
Reid’s value as a leader is difficult to quantify, although he undoubtedly has an impact in this aspect. The soon-to-be 28-year-old would be missed in the locker room, and joining an up-and-coming division rival would not be ideal.
Reid has had some struggles as a safety and defensive playmaker. Especially in 2024.
For starters, Reid has struggled in pass coverage this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Reid has allowed nearly 500 receiving yards this season, the most of any Chiefs defender.
The safety has also allowed a team-high 131.7 passer rating against, and 82.6% of his targets have been caught.
This is a significant drop from Reid’s pass coverage performance in 2023, which included less yards allowed in more appearances (403 in 16 games) and a passer rating against of 99.8. Last season, he allowed only 64.4% of his targets to be caught.
On the other hand, Reid has proven to be an effective run defender and open-field tackler.
Reid’s 5.5% missed tackle rate is one of the lowest among Chiefs defenders who have played at least 300 defensive snaps. Only defensive lineman Mike Danna and Chris Jones, cornerback Nazeeh Johnson, and linebacker Leo Chenal are rated worse.
Similarly, Reid is third on the team in important defensive stops, which “constitute a failure for the offense.” He has been credited with 24 stops this year. Reid concluded the season with 32 stops, ranking second on the squad at the time.
In 2024, Reid has made nine “stops” in run defense, with an average depth of tackle of only 5.3 yards. For comparison, the average ranks 10th in the NFL among all safeties (minimum 50% of snaps), whereas partner Bryan Cook’s average depth of tackle in run defense is 9.7 yards.
Chiefs Have Already Replaced Justin Reid Through the Draft
To summarize the above data, Reid is regressing in pass coverage — and has been a weak link in that regard in 2024 — but he remains an able tackler, a strong run defender, and a valuable locker room voice.
However, all of this debate may be pointless in the end. The reality is that general manager Brett Veach has already taken steps to replace Reid via the draft.
According to Over the Cap, the veteran is one of the Chiefs’ biggest cap hits this season, coming in sixth with $14.25 million. Kansas City could reduce this figure by extending Reid, but why would they when they have promising prospects like Jaden Hicks and Christian Roland-Wallace waiting in the wings?
Not to mention current starters Cook and Chamarri Conner (nickels).
The Chiefs appear to have a stacked safety room in the long run, if these four continue to develop. What is the best part? They’re all playing on rookie contracts.
As a result, there is no compelling reason to bring Reid back in 2025. However, if he quits, you hope he does not end up with a rival.
