Sunday puts the New Orleans Saints at 21 days from their regular season opener, and the player wearing No. 21 is safety Justin Reid.
The Saints are set to open 2026 on the road against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13, and Reid figures to be a key piece of the defense after a first season in New Orleans that started slowly but finished with much better rhythm. He joined the Saints in 2025 as a free agent and now heads into 2026 as the most experienced player in the secondary.
Reid’s football path started at Dutchtown High School in Louisiana before he headed west to Stanford. As a freshman in 2015, he saw limited action but still managed an interception.
The next year brought a bigger role, and he made the most of it with 7 pass breakups and 4 tackles for loss. His 2016 season was the real breakthrough: 5 interceptions, the most in the Pac-12, plus a sack, 7 tackles for loss and 99 total tackles.
That earned him 1st Team All-Pac-12 honors.
He left college early for the NFL and landed with the Houston Texans as an early Round 3 pick. Reid entered the league as a third safety, but by his rookie season he was starting 12 of 16 games.
He finished that year with 3 interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, along with 10 passes broken up, 2 fumble recoveries and 88 tackles. From there, he settled in as a steady starter and spent four years as one of Houston’s most dependable defenders.
Over that stretch, he collected 7 interceptions, 23 pass breakups, 2 sacks and averaged nearly 80 tackles a season.
In 2022 free agency, Reid moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs and immediately became a full-time starter, opening all 17 games for a team that won Super Bowl LVII. He posted 83 tackles, a sack and 7 passes broken up that season.
The next year, he was even more important for a Kansas City defense that finished second and helped the Chiefs win another title in Super Bowl LVIII. Reid logged 1 interception, 7 pass breakups, 3 sacks and a career-high 95 tackles.
Last season, as Kansas City chased a third straight AFC title, he added 2 interceptions, 9 passes broken up and 5 tackles for loss among 87 tackles.
Back in New Orleans on a three-year deal signed during 2025 free agency, Reid’s first year with the Saints came with some early bumps before he settled in and finished strong. He ended the season with 1 interception returned for a touchdown, 6 pass breakups and 72 tackles. With a full year in the system now behind him, the Saints will be counting on Justin Reid to make plays in 2026.
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