Coming off a torn right quad tendon that ended his 2023 season with the Cincinnati Bengals early, the Detroit Lions had defensive tackle DJ Reader in for an old-school free agent visit during the first week of free agency, They literally did not let him leave town without a deal in place (two-year, $27.25 million, with $9 million guaranteed.
Injuries have become a bit of a thing for Reader in recent years. He tore his left quad tendon in 2020, and missed seven games due primarily to a knee injury in 2022. But he has been a stout run defender and a sneaky good pass rusher from the inside, so he's just what the Lions need next to Alim McNeill on their interior defensive line.
Dan Campbell acknowledged the question about Reader's readiness for the start of training camp when OTAs wound down. If his health is still a thing well into August, then it'll be cause for genuine concern.
Intangible impact DJ Reader can have on Lions' defense has been highlighted
Reader just turned 30 on July 1, so he qualified for NFL.com's list of the Top-30 players over 30 entering the coming season. He rounds out the list at No. 30, as analyst Dan Parr picked up the baton for one of the Lions' biggest free agent additions this offseason.
"I can’t think of a better way to close out these rankings than with a tribute to a Reader. Seriously, though, D.J. is a stud. He doesn’t have the accolades that others on this list -- and some who were left off of it -- can place on the mantel, but it’s not his job to do the things that get the glory. Reader’s task is to make sure his team wins at the line of scrimmage, and he’s great at it, which is why the Lions were willing to guarantee a 30-year-old interior defensive lineman more than $9 million even though he was coming off a torn quad that might keep him from being ready for the start of training camp."
-Dan Parr, NFL.com
Parr noted what Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said about Reader back in February.
"You can't look at D.J. Reader in that position and say, 'Let me look at his numbers.' Even though he has good numbers for the position, he is just dominant when it comes to taking on blocks, taking on double teams, and not getting moved. And that allows other people to make plays -- and when you don't have that, it creates other issues."
Reader won't pile up a lot of tackles and sacks, which keeps him off the radar as one of the better defensive tackles in the league. But taking on double teams the way he does, while being generally stout and disruptive, will have a natural domino effect on the Lions' defense this year. He just has to get, and stay, healthy for that intangible impact to be fully realized.
