While the Detroit Lions can say that they experienced a third consecutive winning season in 2025 thanks to their 9-8 record, they still ultimately missed the NFL postseason for the first time since 2023.
And it didn’t help that they experienced multiple injuries to key players, not the least of which were to safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. Additionally, cornerback D.J. Reed was shaken up with a hamstring injury in Week 4 that caused him to miss Detroit’s next six contests.
Reed, who was a participant in the club’s OTAs, figures to be ready for Training Camp by the time it begins late next month, and is looking forward to putting the past behind him and hopefully staying healthy in 2026.
Detroit Lions Cornerback D.J. Reed Sought Stem Cell Treatment For His Injured Hamstring
Reed, who was limited to half of the season because of his hamstring injury and amassed 45 solo tackles, two interceptions, three pass breakups, and one forced fumble, admitted it wasn’t easy not being able to play.
“It was tough,” Reed said about experiencing the injury that hampered his 2025 season. “It was tough, I’m not going to lie. Just with the severity of the strain. It was a bad strain. I thought that I initially needed surgery.”
“It wasn’t like I was going out there and I couldn’t run; it was more so like, I was watching the tape and watching how I was covering guys before the injury, I was just more stickier, and I had that burst that I’m accustomed to having,” Reed said. “Just with watching later in the season in other games, it was the same thing, same technique, but guys were just running by me. I just didn’t have that extra gear.”
Reed explained that he flew to Panama to seek stem cell treatment, a method that was introduced to him by former San Francisco 49rs teammate Fred Warner.
Not only is Reed focused on staying better hydrated in the upcoming season to maximize his availability, but that he intends on continuing the rehabilitation process so that he can hit the ground running.
“It feels good but it’s something you got to keep continuing to work out and rehab,” Reed said of the hamstring.
“I’m definitely looking forward to getting back healthy and balling out and doing what I was doing before the injury,” he said.
D.J. Reed Looks More Like The Player The Lions Signed Him To Be
According to Detroit Lions website reporter Tim Twentyman, Reed looks every bit as good as the kind of performance they were envisioning when they initially brought him aboard
“Cornerback D.J. Reed looked like two different players last season,” Twentyman wrote of Reed’s performance in OTAs. “He suffered a major hamstring injury Week 4 vs. Cleveland and missed the next six weeks because of it. There was the Reed pre-hamstring injury and Reed post-hamstring injury. Early on this spring Reed is moving well and looks like the player we saw in camp and early in the season last year before the injury. Getting the best of Reed will be big for this defense.
Lions’ DJ Reed Reveals Unique Approach To Hamstring Injury Recovery