Justin Reid: Hiring Lovie Smith a “tremendous” for…

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Texans safety Justin Reid was benched for a game during the 2021 season by head coach David Culley for violating team rules and his reaction to that decision became reason to think he’d be moving on as a free agent this offseason.

Culley’s departure and the Texans’ choice of a new head coach appear to have changed the outlook for Reid in Houston, however. Reid called the decision to hire Lovie Smith as the team’s head coach a “tremendous move.”

“Honestly, it made a bigger impact than I would have thought it would have,” Reid said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I didn’t know he was in the running. I think it kind of caught everybody by surprise whenever they ended up hiring him. I think he’s more than qualified. He’s done it before, he’s been to a Super Bowl and he gets his guys to play hard for him. I don’t have anything against any of the other candidates, but I actually have a deep love and respect for coach Lovie Smith, his coaching philosophy, the way he’s able to get the best out of his players.”

Reid said he’s “not opposed to the idea of staying” with the Texans, but noted that there’s a lot to play out between now and the start of free agency next month.