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Jarran Reed is developing into a monster in the middle of the Seahawks line

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By John P. Gilbert
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Seattle Seahawks v Dallas Cowboys Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Sunday I took a quick look at the salary cap situation for the Seattle Seahawks in 2019 as it stands right now, and listed the multiple free agents on which the team will have to make decisions after the season, along with several players who are extension eligible. On the list of extension eligible players for whom the team may want to keep some cap space set aside is third year defensive lineman Jarran Reed, who is quietly having a phenomenal season.

The 2016 second round draft pick was taken one round after right tackle Germain Ifedi, and one round before running back CJ Prosise, tight end Nick Vannett and offensive lineman Rees Odhiambo. While the offensive players selected around him have taken the majority of the attention over the past two and a half seasons since the team selected them, it’s hard to have missed Reed’s contributions on the field this season.

Perhaps the biggest contribution Reed has made has been as a pass rusher this season, where he has already more than tripled his career sack total with four games left. Over the course of his first two campaigns with the Hawks, Reed recorded a total of 3 sacks and 12 quarterback hits. Through the first twelve games of 2018 he has 6.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits.

The 6.5 sacks would be impressive enough on its own, but let’s look at that in relation to all the defensive tackles across the NFL this season.

Sacks leaders by DT per Pro Football Reference

Player Team G Sk Solo Ast TFL QBHits
Player Team G Sk Solo Ast TFL QBHits
Aaron Donald LAR 12 16.5 30 13 20 32
Geno Atkins CIN 12 7 15 19 9 16
Sheldon Rankins NOR 12 7 21 9 10 12
Javon Hargrave PIT 12 6.5 27 12 6 8
Jarran Reed SEA 12 6.5 28 11 8 17
Denico Autry IND 8 6 22 7 9 8
Cameron Heyward PIT 12 6 23 14 8 14
Gerald McCoy TAM 10 6 11 8 6 17
Jurrell Casey TEN 12 5.5 33 17 10 8
Fletcher Cox PHI 12 5 26 9 7 23

Obviously that list isn’t perfect because several players on that list play both inside and out, but it certainly shows that Reed should be in the discussion of young players who are very good defensive tackles.

In addition, take a look at the last column. Reed is tied for third in the NFL with Gerald McCoy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for hits on the quarterback. More specifically, Reed is the only defensive tackle in the NFL who is top ten in the NFL in quarterback hits who is on a rookie contract.

What I’m trying to say is that if the Seahawks plan to keep Reed and defensive end Frank Clark around as the cornerstones of their defensive front, it’s going to cost a pretty penny.

APY for DT quarterback hits leaders

Players Tm G Sk QBHits APY
Players Tm G Sk QBHits APY
Aaron Donald LAR 12 16.5 32 $22.5M
Fletcher Cox PHI 12 5 23 $17.1M
Jarran Reed SEA 12 6.5 17 Rookie Contract
Gerald McCoy TAM 10 6 17 $13.6M
Geno Atkins CIN 12 7 16 $16.3M
Cameron Heyward PIT 12 6 14 $10.456M
Sheldon Richardson MIN 12 3.5 14 $8.0M
Akiem Hicks CHI 12 5 13 $12.0M
Kyle Williams BUF 12 5 13 $5.5M
Ndamukong Suh LAR 12 3.5 13 $14.0M

To summarize, we all know Frank Clark is likely to score a big payday after the 2018 season, and the more we get to watch Jarran Reed play, the more likely it seems that he will be getting a handsome contract extension sometime over the next twelve to fifteen months as well.

For those who prefer videos, here are some highlights.

Oh, you’re not impressed with Reed beating a rookie for a sack? Okay, here he is beating Pro Bowl left tackle Russell Okung.

And just for fun, here’s one more.

Okay, okay, one more. This one’s a throwback for everyone who hates Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

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