The Houston Texans are on track to let defensive tackle D.J. Reader walk in free agency. With the legal tampering period set to begin Monday, Houston is on pace to lose their Pro Bowl alternate.
Over the course of the season, despite the hardball between coach Bill O’Brien, now full-time general manager, and Reader’s camp, the sixth-year coach has stated on numerous occasions throughout the 2019 season just how much Reader meant to the team.
Smart, tough, dependable
The day after the Texans lost 51-31 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional playoffs, O’Brien expressed how much of a priority it was to keep Reader as free agency was two months away.
“D.J. is definitely in that category of smart, tough, and dependable,” O’Brien said. “He’s been a really good player for us ever since the day he walked in here. So, we’re going to sit down with D.J., we’re going to talk and we’re going to try to do what’s best for both sides.
“We’ll see where that goes, but D.J. is just a — he’s an awesome guy, a guy that has played a lot of great football for us and that’s it.”