The Green Bay Packers have a plan, but it's not easy watching several ideal free-agent targets come off the board.
The Chicago Bears have already landed the top center on the market, which is notable with the Packers reportedly not interested in re-signing Josh Myers.
Now, the Detroit Lions have upgraded at another area where the Packers need help.
According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, the Lions are signing cornerback D.J. Reed to a three-year deal worth $48 million, with $32 million fully guaranteed.
Many identified Reed as an ideal free-agent target for the Packers. He is arguably the best CB2 in the league and would've helped fill the void left by Jaire Alexander, who is likely done in Green Bay.
Lions signing D.J. Reed puts pressure on Packers to find cornerback help
If the Packers' plan is to address cornerback in free agency, they must act quickly. Reed is one of several cornerbacks off the market. The Minnesota Vikings signed Isaiah Rodgers, and the New York Giants landed Paulson Adebo.
If we assume Alexander is gone, Green Bay only has two cornerbacks under contract who started a game in 2024: Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine.
That's a solid place to start, but the Packers need a lot more.
Reed isn't an All-Pro, but he is a reliable, steady starter who could have instantly improved the Packers' secondary.
There's still time for the Packers to find help — Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy could be the perfect Alexander replacement — but the pressure is mounting. Several of the top free-agent cornerbacks are no longer on the board.
It was a similar story at wide receiver. The Packers reportedly had no interest in signing Davante Adams or trading for DK Metcalf, but it significantly limits their options to add a veteran pass-catcher.
Reed would've been an ideal free-agent target. Instead, he signs with a division rival.