ASHBURN — For about two hours after he found out he made the Pro Bowl, Jeremy Reaves set his phone on Do Not Disturb and just sat on his couch to think about everything he had been through the last few years.
The Washington Commanders safety thought about his mom’s death last year, about how much she meant to him. He traced back over his football career — from breaking his back in high school to going undrafted to being cut a handful of times to finally becoming a special teams fixture for the Commanders this season.
On that couch, soaking in those memories, Reaves felt a rush of emotion. He cried. He smiled. He was sad and then excited. “I thought of all the trials that I had been through, and all the stuff I had to take to keep overcoming,” Reaves said, “despite what I was going through.”
Four Commanders were named to the Pro Bowl this week, but no selection was more surprising — or perhaps more meaningful — than the selection of Reaves. The 26-year-old earned his first Pro Bowl bid as the NFC’s special teamer, becoming the first Washington player to do so since Lorenzo Alexander in 2012.
In a video that has since gone viral, team cameras captured the moment that coach Ron Rivera let Reaves know about the selection. The safety initially turned away to cry before embracing Rivera for a hug. “And I know your mom would be proud,” Rivera said.
Rivera individually informed each of Washington’s selections, and Reaves’ nomination prompted genuine reactions from punter Tress Way and Terry McLaurin. Way also teared up when he learned of Reaves’ berth, while McLaurin broke out into a smile.
“That frickin’ dude is just one of those guys, when you walk down the hallway, when you walk into the cafeteria, you are just happy to see him,” Way said of Reaves. “He is just so consistent with who he is as a person, his effort on the field, his energy. And he would just do anything for anyone. And those are always the awesome people.
“When something great happens to them, everything awesome they do for other people, here have a taste of your own medicine.”
get your tissues ready 🥹
watch @RiverboatRonHC tell the guys they made the Pro Bowl pic.twitter.com/7rpj99EIkZ
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 22, 2022
Though he plays primarily special teams, Reaves has become an important piece inside Washington’s locker room over the past few years — in large part because of his journey. After being cut by the Eagles, He first landed on the team’s practice squad in 2018. And though he was promoted to the active roster a few times, he was subsequently cut in each of the next three training camps.
Over that span, though, Reaves became close with Rivera. In 2020, the safety was one of the last few cuts when Washington narrowed down from 90 to 53 players. But upon signing Reaves to the practice squad, Rivera saw how hard Reaves was working in practice — leading the coach to sign Reaves in October after a season-ending injury to Landon Collins. Rivera had mulled the idea of adding veteran Eric Reid, but felt Reaves deserved to be rewarded for his effort.
The following year, their bond arguably became even stronger. Though Reaves was still cut after training camp and added to the practice squad, Rivera was there for Reaves after the safety’s mom died around Thanksgiving. The safety was excused from the team, with the coach wanting Reaves to take time to greave.
And this season, Reaves’ journey finally started to pay consistent dividends. For the first time, he survived cutdown day and made Washington’s 53-man roster. And in the process, he started to thrive on special teams — serving as the Commanders’ punt protector and key tackler on returns.
“He does his role to the best,” Rivera said.
After learning he’d made the Pro Bowl, Reaves shared the moment with the rest of his family. His father, Reaves said, started crying in the middle of a shopping mall when the South Alabama product called to share the news. Reaves also informed his sister and his stepfather.
And he also thought of his mother.
“She hated football, she didn’t like her baby playing football,” Reaves said. “She didn’t want her baby boy to get hurt obviously. She’s a mother. She’s a protector. That’s her nature. But she was always supportive, man. She was my biggest fan.
“She didn’t know much about the game, but she knew about her boy. And if her boy was playing, she was glued to the TV and the game. Just the woman that she was, you can’t replace that.”