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The Cincinnati Bengals got their guy.
While the Bengals were rumored to be finalists for Joe Schobert in free agency and also ended up signing Trae Waynes and Xavier Su’a-Filo, star defensive lineman D.J. Reader was always priority No. 1.
Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic explained:
“The Texans tackle had been the Bengals’ top priority for months. A defense with a scarcity of game-changing players needed playmakers and building from the defensive line was where they wanted to start.”
Call it two things. 1. That’s just how great Reader is. 2. This is a look at the current strategy.
The Bengals want to beef up the trenches and address coverage. They did. The former plays into the latter and vice versa. Reader next to Geno Atkins and others frees up those others to fill run gaps or get after the passer. Linebacker, analytically speaking, isn’t as important as pressure creators or coverage players in today’s game.
The fact the Bengals were in on Schobert wasn’t a one-or-the-other ordeal. Maybe they go Schobert and Reader, dismissing pursuit of Waynes.
But Reader was the main play. He’s that good already and has some upside. He’s incredibly rare, or at least as rare as 347-pound maulers who can create pressure are, anyway.
It feels a little strange to say the Bengals got their guy, who just happens to be a Tier 1 free agent — but here we are. Joe Burrow’s on the way and the Bengals are acting like it.
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