Following Galiano to the podium was Defensive Coordinator, Brandon Staley. Right out the box, Staley was asked about that final defensive backfield cutdown that came down to veteran Isaac Yiadom and 1st year player Mike Reid. Reid was the one chosen.
Improvement and Size Win Out"I thought he had consistent improvement from his first practice here without really any off season," Staley answered. Reid joined the team just before training camp began, on July 28. He was released three days earlier by the Panthers.
"In the opportunities in the scrimmages and the games, he showed real physicality and playmaking," Staley continued. "We felt like he was the right guy to be coaching and developing long term."
For Staley, Reid's 6' 2" 200-pound frame is something he seemed to desire in his D-backs.
"He's got length, so he gives us some size at that position," Staley explained. "I think that he showed in the preseason he's really physical. He really packs a punch going forward. We feel like he sees the game well enough and plays well enough in the deep part of the field. You can see his corner(back) background (which) shows itself when he's deep, which is an advantage to how we play. We just really like the progress he made in a short amount of time."
