The Buffalo Bills announced that former Defensive Player of the Year Ed Reed agreed in principle to join their coaching staff as the team’s assistant defensive backs coach.
“Ed Reed is going to be such a great asset to our team,” Bills head coach Rex Ryan said in a release issued by the team. “First off, having spent time with Ed in Baltimore and then in New York, I can attest to the incredibly high level of professionalism he is going to bring with him to Buffalo. All of the things he’s done throughout his entire playing career, such as how he studies film, preparing throughout the week for game days, and things like that, he will impress upon our players.
“Obviously, he’s played in this system at a MVP-caliber level and he’s a real student of the game. I think he’s going to be a phenomenal coach and I truly believe our players are going to love learning from him.”
Reed retired in 2013 after 12 years in the NFL. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl safety, earned first-team All-Pro honors five times and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2004. Reed’s 64 career interceptions rank as the sixth most in NFL history and his 1,590 interception return yards are the most all-time. Reed also collected 699 total tackles, six sacks, 154 passes defensed, 12 forced fumbles and 10 fumble recoveries in his career.
Reed spent the first seven years of his career playing under Ryan in Baltimore. He also played the final seven games of his NFL career under Ryan with the New York Jets in 2013.