Justin Reid has just been lucky when it has come to leadership.
Reid’s first three seasons as a third-round pick from Stanford in 2018 saw him playing with defensive end J.J. Watt, safety Tyrann Mathieu, cornerback Johnathan Joseph, and defensive back Kareem Jackson. These players were the epitome of leadership during their tenures with the Houston Texans.
“All those guys I got to take a bit of everything from them and add it to myself and in turn try to spread that to the rest of the guys on the field around me,” Reid said.
The 24-year-old safety, who is entering the final year of his contract, is playing a big part in the Texans’ new Tampa 2 scheme, the signature defense of new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith. The new scheme allows Reid to flourish as a leader on the field.
“I love it,” Reid said. “It’s fun for me on the back end just because I like being the guy that gets guys off the line, I feel like safety, middle linebacker too but safety you get to be a chief on the back end, see the whole picture, get to put guys in the right spot.”
Reid says that he believes his job is to be a “resource” for his teammates.
Said Reid: “Because if I’m playing my best ball and nobody else is, we’re not going to win that way. The only way to move forward is get everybody on the same page and better, and I want to get everybody on the lineup into their best position as possible in order to make plays and that’s my job, as well.”
Reid has collected 249 combined tackles, nine tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, 2.0 sacks, five interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, 19 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries in his 44 career games, 40 of which he has started.
