The San Francisco 49ers continue to look for ways to improve the roster. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Thursday afternoon that the team brought in free agent defensive end Cedric Reed for a workout.
Reed entered the NFL in 2015 as an undrafted free agent out of Texas. He signed with the Buffalo Bills, and spent the 2015 season on their practice squad. He was released on July 30, 2016. He signed with the Miami Dolphins two weeks later, but was part of final roster cuts.
In four college seasons, he had 18.5 sacks and 180 tackles (33 for a loss). His best season appears to have been 2013, when had 10 sacks and 16 tackles for a loss. He had 5.5 sacks in 2014 before going undrafted.
I came across Lance Zierlein’s scouting report on Reed at NFL.com. They listed out these strengths and weaknesses:
STRENGTHS: Will crash down the line of scrimmage to attack running plays when left unblocked on the open side. Can be disruptive with inside pass-rush moves. Plays with decent initial leverage for a long-levered defensive end. Shows secondary motor to pursue downfield.
WEAKNESSES: Stiff, unenthusiastic player. Has some athletic traits, but they don't show up consistently enough on the field. Passive off the snap and lacks physicality. Block magnet who has a hard time disengaging. Lacks the ability to turn the corner as a pass rusher and doesn't seem to have a pet move to beat tackles.
Reed has quite the frame, standing 6’5 and weighing 269 pounds at the NFL Combine. I did some digging, and Charles Davis said reports indicate he played with a torn meniscus his senior year. Davis included Reed in his all-underrated team coming out of the 2015 Combine. He had this to say about Reed.
Reed had a much better junior season than senior season, but he reportedly played through a torn meniscus during his senior year. If you turn on the 2013 tape of Reed playing opposite Jackson Jeffcoat, Reed jumps out at you, and he got better as the 2014 season progressed. He destroyed West Virginia last season.
The 49ers are looking for edge help, and Reed certainly has the frame for it. They added Pita Taumoepenu, but otherwise did not add a pure edge rusher to the team. Arik Armstead and Aaron Lynch have been getting snaps as edge options, but the team could always use more competition. Reed could be an intriguing option.