Seahawks Trade for Promising, Versatile Cornerback: Report

Getty Pete Carroll's Seahawks say they are happy with new quarterback Drew Lock.

The Seattle Seahawks made a trade with the Houston Texans to bolster their secondary by acquiring cornerback John Reid, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The Seahawks are sending the Texans a conditional seventh-round selection in 2023 in a move that represents minimal risk for Seattle.

Reid played in 13 games, including one start, in his rookie season with the Texans in 2020 notching 13 tackles and a pass deflection. The former Penn State corner was selected by the Texans in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the No. 141 pick. The Seahawks secondary has struggled early in the preseason, and Reid is likely to compete at nickel corner.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah Is a ‘Big Fan of John Reid’

Heading into the draft, NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah described himself as a “big fan” of Reid’s game. Jeremiah had the cornerback ranked as a top-100 player, well above where he landed in the draft.

“I’m actually a big fan of John Reid,” Jeremiah told Reading Eagle in April 2020. “He’s a top 100 player for me. He’s my 99th guy. He’s got production. He’s another one with the versatility to play inside and out. He’s going to be a good nickel player at the next level.”

The Seahawks lost two of their starting cornerbacks in free agency, Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar. Seattle has an open competition with Tre Flowers, DJ Reed, Ahkello Witherspoon and rookie Tre Brown among the players competing for a starting gig. Reid did not have a strong grade during his rookie season scoring a 53.9 (out of 100) from Pro Football Focus.

The corner scored higher in coverage at 56.8 than his run defense which rated 50.2. Reid has fared a bit better during the preseason scoring a 61.7 grade, 63 against the run and 60.5 in coverage.

Reid Was Described as a ‘Competitive Press Nickel’ Coming out of Penn State

The corner’s most natural fit coming out of Penn State was at nickel corner. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein provided a scouting report on Reid heading into the draft.

“Competitive press nickel who uses mirror quickness and controlled hand work to make press release uncomfortable for receivers,” Zierlein detailed. “Reid’s body control and balance allow him to play a stickier brand of coverage underneath, but that coverage will fade as routes progress. He can be mismatched with big speed or big size and doesn’t feature the physical profile of a capable run-support defender. Reid’s passion, competitiveness and football IQ are fun to watch, but physical limitations could cap his ceiling.”

Carroll on Seahawks’ Current Cornerbacks: ‘A Variety of Styles, Sizes & Shapes’

The Seahawks have had a bit of a “type” of cornerback under Pete Carroll dating back to the Legion of Boom days. Carroll built his defense around tall cornerbacks with long wingspans such as Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner. This offseason, Carroll has shown more of an openness to bringing in smaller corners, and Reid fits that mold at 5’10”, 187 pounds.

“The competition is really good,” Carroll said, per Associated Press’ Tim Booth. “A variety of styles, sizes and shapes, and we’ll tailor our stuff to them. We’re not going to try to make them be something that they’re not. Right now, it’s gathering information on the guys, that’s all. I have got my own study going, that I’ll keep on going throughout camp so I can stay abreast with how they’re developing, it’s really one of the things I have the most fun with.”