Lions CB Took Extra Measures To Help Heal Injured Hamstring

In 2025, the Detroit Lions were expected to be a force in the league. Their defensive backs room was called a strength, and the free-agent acquisition of D.J. Reed was expected to bolster the room.

After good early returns for Reed, the injury bug took him down. It was a theme for the Lions, as Ennis Rakestraw, Kerby Joseph and Terrion Arnold had their own injuries, with Brian Branch having his own injury later in the season.

This led to the Lions being the "legion of whom," with players such as Rock Ya-Sin and Nick Whiteside joining the sole healthy starter in the secondary, Amik Robertson.

For Reed, his hamstring injury has been on his mind, as even after his return to the lineup, he was not at the same level. Reed is taking care of himself as best as possible, and revealed he took a trip to Panama for stem cells, one of the trends that has become popular in recent years in rehabilitation.

"I would say, the main goal for me is just to stay healthy," Reed admitted. "That's like really important. Just doing my system, hydrating, getting the right amount of sleep, doing everything I can control. This offseason, I did a lot as far as treatment, regarding the hamstring, just to get back to where I needed to be. I got stem cells, I went to Panama and got stem cells, and was just rehabbing during the season and training. It feels good, but it's something you have to keep continuing to work out and rehab."

Reed later revealed that he was in Panama for a week, and also had gotten other work done besides infusing his hamstrings with stem cells. The idea was crafted with San Francisco Pro Bowl linebacker Fred Warner, a fellow 2018 draftee.

With how Reed's play was affected and how the Lions' season played out, one prominent question was how bad the defensive back's injury was. At first, Reed believed he needed surgery. Now, however, he is back to playing at a high level.

"Man, it was tough, 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," the defensive back revealed. "But, I mean, it's football. Nobody cares. It was tough rehabbing, like I had to teach myself how to walk, how to jog, sprint again, going back to playing football. It was a tough task. There's no excuses when you're out there. I'm definitely looking forward to getting back out there healthy and balling out and doing what I was doing before the injury."

Reed was asked how the injury affected his play, and he was honest about the lack of speed. He was never heading onto the field unable to run or too injured, but his man coverage and ability to keep up with some of the NFL's best receivers were adversely affected.

"The rehab team, they did a great job. It wasn't like I was going out there and couldn't run. It was moreso when I was just watching the tape, watching how I was covering guys before the injury, I was stickier. I had that burst that I'm accustomed to having. Just with watching later in the season, other games, it was same thing, same technique, but guys were just running by me. I just didn't have the extra gear," Reed lamented. "It was definitely humbling."

Reed was all smiles when asked if the burst was back now, saying it was "definitely" back.

Reed On Lions' secondary additions

In addition to being fully back from an injury, Reed also returns to Detroit for his second year under defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. This should provide the veteran with an ample amount of stability and comfort.

That said, being an experienced pro does not mean that Reed is giving himself a pass for not attending organized team activities (OTAs), as there are a lot of new defensive backs to break in to the system.

"I definitely feel much more comfortable in the system," Reed commented. "I would say I'm really happy to be here during the OTAs, just because we have new safeties. Just getting the looks with them, and also Roger (McCreary, a free agent acquisition), our nickel. They're new guys, so they're learning a whole new system. So, just getting the reps with them and understanding how they play is very important, instead of me just coming to training camp and not knowing how everyone plays."

Reed also claimed training camp would be more competitive and that there were less solidified spots, a contrast from before the 2025 season, when most pundits could lock in the starting Lions secondary from the second summer camp started.

Part of the openings and lack of solidified spots comes from Branch and Joseph coming off long-term, lower-body injuries. It appears increasingly likely that Motown starts Week 1 without either safety active.

"We got a lot of guys, they brought a lot of guys in," Reed expressed. "Chuck Clark, he's been doing a great job with the role they've asked him to play at safety. He's in year 10, he's been around a lot of football. He just understands it. Izie (Christian Izien), he's still learning, but he's super athletic, he can range around the field, he does good down in the box. He fills that role up. Roger, he's learning a lot of nickel right now, it's a lot. We put a lot on our nickels. He's learning and trying to understand it to the best of his abilities, and he's doing a great job, too."

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi as Lions CB Took Extra Measures To Help Heal Injured Hamstring.

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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 6:46 PM.