Jeremy Antoine Reaves (born August 29, 1996) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

free safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their du ...

and

special teamer In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

for the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

South Alabama South Alabama is the various parts of southern Alabama. Although it is not a strictly defined geographic region, it generally includes all Alabama counties south of the Black Belt (region of Alabama), Black Belt. In that view, ''South Alabama'' co ...

, where he was named the 2017

Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered to stretch across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the 36th parallel. Several climates can be found in the region — d ...

Defensive Player of the Year before having a brief stint with the NFL's

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

prior to joining Washington. Reaves was named to his first

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

in 2022 after spending three seasons primarily on the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

Early life and high school

Reaves was born and raised in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal c ...

and attended

Pensacola Catholic High School Pensacola Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic, co-educational high school in Pensacola, Florida, United States. It was established in 1941 and is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. History Pensaco ...

, where he played both baseball and football. He originally played

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

for the Crusaders before his coach moved him to

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

after his sophomore year. He was named first-team all-area as a junior and honorable mention All-State as a senior after recording 39 tackles and five interceptions despite missing an extended period of time because of vertebrae fractures.

College career

Reaves played four seasons for the

South Alabama Jaguars The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics. USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics t ...

, playing

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

his first three years before moving to

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

going into his senior season. He was named second-team All-

as a sophomore, his first season as a starter, after making 96 tackles (2nd highest on the team), eight for a loss, and leading the team with six passes broken up and tying for the team lead with two interceptions and three forced fumbles. In his junior season Reaves was named first-team All-Sunbelt after making 85 tackles (5.5 for loss) and again led the team with seven pass breakups and was second on the team with three interceptions. As a senior, Reaves recorded 104 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three interceptions and three forced fumbles and was named

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams particip ...

Defensive Player of the Year. Reaves finished his collegiate career with 301 tackles, eight interceptions, 22 passes defensed, and eight forced fumbles. His performance earned him an invitation to the 2018

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

, where he made eight tackles and an interception.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Reaves signed with the

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

on April 28, 2018. He was waived by the Eagles on September 1, 2018.

Washington Redskins / Football Team / Commanders

Reaves was signed to the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

practice squad on September 12, 2018. He was promoted to the Redskins' active roster on December 19, 2018. He made his NFL debut on December 22, 2018 against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

. Reaves was waived on August 31, 2019, but was signed to the practice squad the following day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 12, 2019. Reaves made his first career start on October 24, 2019 against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

, making three tackles before leaving the game due to a concussion. In 2019, Reaves finished the season with 15 tackles, a quarterback hit and a pass defended in nine games played (three starts). On September 5, 2020, Reaves was waived and signed to their practice squad the following day. He was promoted back to the active roster following a season ending injury to

Landon Collins Landon Alexander Collins (born January 10, 1994) is an American football safety and linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was a part of the team that won the 201 ...

on October 27. In Week 12 against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

, Reaves recorded his first career sack on

Andy Dalton Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Red Rifle", Dalton previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and ...

during the 41–16 win. In Week 17 against the his former team, the

on ''Sunday Night Football'', Reaves recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Nate Sudfeld during the 20–14 win. Reaves was released on August 31, 2021, but re-signed to the

the following day. On December 11, he was activated to the active roster as a COVID-19 replacement player. The team signed him to the active roster on January 8, 2022. Reaves made the Commanders' 53-man roster out of training camp in 2022, the first time in his career that he had done so after being a final cut in each of his previous four NFL seasons. In December 2022, Reaves was voted in his first Pro Bowl as the

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

starter of the

2023 Pro Bowl The 2023 Pro Bowl Games will be the National Football League's all-star game for the 2022 NFL season. For the first time, the event will consist of skills competitions and a non-contact flag football game, rather than holding an actual tackle footb ...

References

External links

Washington Commanders bio

South Alabama Jaguars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reaves, Jeremy 1996 births Living people Players of American football from Pensacola, Florida American football safeties South Alabama Jaguars football players Philadelphia Eagles players Washington Commanders players Washington Football Team players Washington Redskins players National Conference Pro Bowl players