Is this considered a splash signing? Looking for a companion .After a scheduled visit on Thursday, March 14, free agent defensive tackle DJ Reader has agreed to a two-year contract worth up to $27.25 million with the Detroit Lions.
Reader, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 335 pounds, has been a force on the inside since joining the league as a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, and teaming him with Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill immediately gives Detroit one of the NFL’s most powerful interior duos.
Reader played four seasons with the Houston Texans before signing a second contract with the Cincinnati Bengals before of the 2020 season. During his eight-year tenure As a professional, one aspect of Reader’s game has been consistent year after year: his ability to halt the run. If necessary, he can be one of the few inside players who can regularly occupy a gap and a half, if not two, depending on the defensive scheme’s requirements.
Reader, who served as team captain and anchor in the heart of that defense for four years, will undoubtedly be missed in Cincinnati. With his departure, let’s take a closer look at how Bengals fans and experts are reacting to the news of Reader signing in Detroit, beginning with Joe Goodberry, a Cincinnati native and Bengals content developer.
