Ja’seem Reed is making the kind of preseason push that gets coaches talking and quarterbacks paying attention. The second-year Panthers wideout has already found the end zone twice in August, and Bryce Young says the production is no accident.
Reed opened the preseason with a touchdown in Carolina’s 33-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame Game. He kept it going Saturday against the Buffalo Bills, finishing with three catches for 17 yards and another score in the Panthers’ 29-14 loss before 58,528 fans at Highmark Stadium.
Young pointed to Reed’s steady camp work as the reason the receiver is starting to earn real trust in the room.
"Same thing he's been doing all camp, being consistent, doing a great job of winning, great job of understanding leverage, understanding route timing, and for us, I think someone that we can trust," Young said, via the Panthers.
"We feel like that with all of our guys, but when you go out there, and you just see him continue to put it on film- a good guy off the field and I want him to learn to have those conversations. We all trust him in the room, so it's no surprise he's been having the success of that."
Reed’s path to this point has been a grind. He originally signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2025, then spent time on Carolina’s practice squad last season.
Now he’s trying to turn those reps into a roster spot, and he says the work against the Panthers’ secondary has helped him level up. Reed said going against Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson every day has sharpened his game and boosted his confidence.
"I think it's definitely growing, being on the practice squad, going against Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson every day, just developing my game and just growth in myself and just believing in myself more and more," Reed said.
"Just going out there and doing me and trusting God and trusting myself and in the scheme and letting the plays come to me, and whenever they come, making the play…I just think every day going against them, like, of course they're going to make plays. I'm going to make plays, and, I think again, that just helps to boost my confidence."
With two preseason games left, Reed’s final push comes down to one thing: whether he can keep showing that same consistency.
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