Jeremy Reaves is making noise in Washington — and his head coach is making sure everyone knows it.
The South Alabama product and Washington Commanders safety has emerged as one of the more compelling stories out of the team's 2026 training camp, with head coach Dan Quinn publicly stating that Reaves has "earned the right" to compete for a starting defensive role this season. That kind of explicit endorsement from a head coach — during camp, no less — isn't standard procedure. Quinn saying it out loud signals genuine organizational confidence in a player who has spent years carving out a roster spot through special teams tenacity and relentless preparation.
Reaves's trajectory is the kind of story that doesn't always get told loudly enough. Undrafted out of South Alabama in 2018, he spent time on practice squads, bounced through the league, and eventually entrenched himself in Washington as one of the defense's most reliable special-teams contributors. Now, with a legitimate shot at a starting role in the secondary, the Mobile product is proof that the grind doesn't have an expiration date.
Quinn's Commanders defense figures to be one of the more interesting units in the NFC heading into 2026, and Reaves's push for a starting safety job is worth tracking all the way through the preseason. If he locks down the role, it would mark a significant milestone for a player who has never stopped betting on himself — and for a South Alabama program that continues to punch above its weight in NFL player development.
The Rest of the South Alabama Alumni Watch
Reaves is the headliner this week, but South Alabama's NFL footprint stretches across the league. Jalen Tolbert is in Miami with the Dolphins at receiver, Jalen Wayne is in Green Bay competing for snaps with the Packers, and Kawaan Baker remains on the Patriots' roster at wideout. Gerald Everett, one of the more accomplished former Jaguars at the professional level, is in Chicago with the Bears as a veteran tight end presence.
The Seahawks are quietly running a South Alabama satellite camp of their own — linebacker Jamie Sheriff, linebacker Bubba Thomas, and linebacker Wy'Kevious Thomas are all on Seattle's roster, giving the program three active linebackers on the same depth chart.
Darrell Luter Jr. continues to develop in San Francisco's secondary with the 49ers, while Corliss Waitman remains one of the more underrated specialists in the league as the 49ers' punter. Carter Bradley holds a roster spot in Jacksonville with the Jaguars, and Trey Kiser is competing in New York with the Giants at linebacker.
No week in the NFL quite captures South Alabama's reach like a training camp week — but Reaves is the one turning it into a headline. Watch for his progress as the preseason schedule unfolds.
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