Defensively, the Detroit Lions didn't enjoy a healthy 2024 season. In spite of that, they still went 15-2, repeated as division champions and came within a game of another NFC title appearance.
One of the players who was most important in this consistency was defensive tackle DJ Reader. By the end of the season, Reader was playing a major role due to the loss of Alim McNeill, and had a solid rise. But 2025 could be even better.
Pro Football Focus writer Dalton Wasserman identified one bounce-back candidate for every team, and Reader was the choice in Detroit given his chance to play a more effective role this season.
"Over the past nine seasons, Reader has established himself as one of the NFL’s premier run stoppers. However, he’s coming off a year in which he posted career lows in overall and run-defense grades. He was tasked with his heaviest workload since 2021, especially after Alim McNeill suffered a season-ending injury. With McNeill returning and first-round pick Tyleik Williams joining the rotation, Reader could thrive in a more balanced role with a reduced snap count in 2025."
A healthy Reader as part of a rotation seems like an advantage for the Lions. He's already shown promise as a space eater and pocket rusher, and could be poised to do so again.
DJ Reader encouraged by chance to flourish after healthy offseason
Lost in the chaos defensively last season was the fact that Reader managed to stay healthy. After an injury-riddled previous year, Reader played in 15 games and delivered a career-high three sacks. It was a solid showing from the veteran in spite of other metrics.
Reader sees an opportunity to improve even more before 2025, given the fact he has enjoyed a healthy offseason this year, something which he didn't get last year. He knows that could springboard him in a major way.
"It was probably my healthiest offseason in a minute when I haven't had to get cut open or (had) anything happen. I think (I'm) just sticking to the routine of working. The couple offseasons when I was healthy, I could explore a couple different things. When you're in that rehab phase, you're just rushing back. You're focused on the rehab and what that may be to get you back playing and how hard that is. When you got the offseason, you really get to explore yourself, learn a lot more about yourself, figure new things out. I think in this league, old dogs got to learn new tricks. You might have your routine, but you got to learn something new to stay around."
Reader understands he has to reinvent himself as much as possible, and knows he will get the chance to add new tools to his toolbox before this season. Combined with the emergence of Tyleik Williams and better depth, there is reason to think he could have a bigger 2025.
