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Tennessee Titans CB Kalan Reed’s hype is real and warranted

By Matias Wodner

NASHVILLE, TN - JULY 6: A single bunch of flowers lies at the entrance to the Tennessee Titans offices and practice facility as team officials prepare for a press conference in reaction to the death of former Titan star quarterback Steve McNair July 6, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. McNair was found shot to death in a Nashville condominium on July 4th, his girlfreinds' body was also found at the scene. (Photo by Rusty Russell/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - JULY 6: A single bunch of flowers lies at the entrance to the Tennessee Titans offices and practice facility as team officials prepare for a press conference in reaction to the death of former Titan star quarterback Steve McNair July 6, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. McNair was found shot to death in a Nashville condominium on July 4th, his girlfreinds' body was also found at the scene. (Photo by Rusty Russell/Getty Images) /
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On the back of a great camp and first preseason game, cornerback Kalan Reed is making a legitimate case to make the 53-man roster.

The moniker of “Mr. Irrelevant” isn’t a kind one. It refers to the last player drafted in any given NFL Draft. This year’s “Mr. Irrelevant” is Chad Kelly, a talented quarterback with off-the-field concerns who was drafted by the Denver Broncos. Before Kelly assumed the role, Tennessee Titans cornerback Kalan Reed had the title bestowed upon him in 2016.

A talented player with good size and metrics out of Southern Mississippi, it was a bit of a shock to many that Reed fell so far in the draft. It was a huge surprise for Pro Football Focus, who had Reed ranked No. 54 overall on their final board. They thought that Reed would be rather “relevant” at the next level.

The success rate for these players is not very high, but Reed can take solace in the fact that there’s another “Mr. Irrelevant” on the team: kicker Ryan Succop, who has been locked in and one of the best kickers in the league ever since he got to Nashville.

While Logan Ryan, LeShaun Sims, Brice McCain and Adoree’ Jackson are probably locks to be the top four cornerbacks, the fifth cornerback spot is truly up for grabs. With Tye Smith, Demontre Hurst, D’Joun Smith and Curtis Riley all vying for the position, competition for Reed seems to be even tougher than last season, when he could only crack the active roster as a rookie for four games.

With a year of preseason and practice squad experience under his belt, Reed looks primed to make a serious run at an active roster spot. If you watched last week’s preseason game against the New York Jets for more than the first quarter, Reed probably popped off the screen for you. He was consistently around the ball, helping out in the run game and making sure tackles on short passes. Whenever the Jets threw at him over five yards, Reed had sticky coverage on his receivers.

Don’t just take it from me, as PFF awarded Reed their game ball for his performance in the 7-3 loss, which ranked him sixth overall among all cornerbacks during the first week of preseason.

These accolades aren’t smoke and mirrors; they are an affirmation of the improvement Reed has shown throughout all of training camp. In seemingly every practice during this offseason, Reed reportedly made a play or two on defense. His performance on Saturday night confirmed that he’s always around the ball, both when tackling and when covering.

The Titans secondary struggled mightily last season. They struggled mightily on the first drive of the game on Saturday night. If Reed continues to flash the way he has for the last month, the Titans coaching staff needs to take a hard look at getting him consistent playing time.

Preferably at the expense of Brice McCain.

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