Tag: D.J. Reader

DJ Reader latest former Bengals star to prove Cincy’s building wrong

DJ Reader, Joe Mixon, Jessie Bates and more — the players the Bengals let get away keep shining elsewhere.

A frustrating season for Cincinnati Bengals fans has been underlined in red ink with former key members of the team shining elsewhere.

DJ Reader is merely the latest.

Reader, now a member of the elite Detroit Lions defense, left this past offseason and has mostly kept up his usual level of play for the Super Bowl hopeful.

With Detroit, Reader has three sacks and four tackles for loss, each number more than he had last year over 14 games with the Bengals.

Perhaps more notably, he’s outpacing his replacement, Sheldon Rankins, who has appeared in seven games with the Bengals and posted one sack and tackle for loss. Due to a viral illness, he missed the game before the bye last week and will miss Week 13 against Pittsburgh, at a minimum.

Granted, the Bengals were attempting to replace Reader via a platoon of rookies, plus Rankins. But none of those guys were pure nose tackles like Reader. And while he entered free agency after a torn quad, so letting him walk was somewhat understandable at the time, the general idea of how to replace him certainly wasn’t.

But that doesn’t make it sting less when Reader is just the latest in a long line of whiffs.

Joe Mixon has revived his career in Houston. Jessie Bates is an All-Pro and the current state of the Bengals defense speaks for itself. Even Kevin Zeitler is still playing elite ball and would have been a Ring of Honor candidate, had they kept him.

At some point, this is a brutal reflection of the Bengals’ front office and Duke Tobin in how they do business and select players. Now, the results of critical mistakes are showing up big on the field — in Cincinnati and elsewhere in the NFL.

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Former Bengals stars shining elsewhere while team struggles in same areas

The Bengals keep letting big names go and struggling to replace them.

The Cincinnati Bengals have let two major defensive stars go over the last few seasons and based on their play elsewhere, it would appear the team got it wrong on both counts.

Jessie Bates went out and earned an All-Pro nod last year during his first season with the Atlanta Falcons, and this past Monday, he made the game-sealing interception in primetime.

DJ Reader was the other name. In his first game with the Detroit Lions over the weekend, he played more than 50 percent of the snaps and earned a run defense grade over 70 at PFF.

The problem here isn’t that former Bengals are excelling elsewhere — it’s that they are excelling while the Bengals struggle in those areas.

At safety, Dax Hill flopped last year and has since made a successful move to cornerback. But the team had to go sign Vonn Bell and Geno Stone, essentially on an emergency basis, to correct course.

And right now, injuries have ravaged the interior of the defensive line to the point the team is working out a 34-year-old veteran while just hoping for a viable depth option.

To make matters worse, some of the money justifications for letting Bates and Reader walk haven’t played out well. The Bengals haven’t paid Tee Higgins an extension and he’s expected to leave via free agency. And fans know all too well about the wild Ja’Marr Chase extension drama that has hung over the franchise all summer, too.

There is some validity to the idea that making sure Joe Burrow and Chase are paid is more important than anything else. But when the Bengals are once again failing to replace top-tier talent that leaves by missing on draft picks, it makes it a much tougher pill to swallow.

While things aren’t necessarily at losing Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler in the same offseason bad just yet, so far, the Bengals haven’t achieved the proper follow-up success in these areas to justify routinely letting proven talent walk.

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DJ Reader has a chance to play vs. Rams

Lions DT DJ Reader, returning from a torn quad, has a chance to play vs. Rams according to head coach Dan Campbell

The Detroit Lions have been patiently waiting for top free agent acquisition DJ Reader to get into the mix along the defensive line. It appears Reader could be ready to make his Detroit debut in the team’s Week 1 matchup with the visiting Los Angeles Rams.

Head coach Dan Campbell indicated “there’s a chance” that Reader will play in Week 1. The veteran defensive tackle has been sidelined since December with a torn quad. Reader was activated in late August but hasn’t participated in a fully padded practice until this week.

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Campbell said that Reader was doing well in practice and could get into the Week 1 game plan, even though the original idea was to have him for the Week 2 matchup against the Buccaneers. He will be considered day-to-day.

Video: Previewing the Lions defensive tackle position ahead of training camp

Video: Previewing the Lions defensive tackle position ahead of training camp via the Detroit Lions Podcast

One of the most revamped positions on the entire Detroit Lons roster is at defensive tackle. A unit that was solid against the run but offered little pass rush other than Alim McNeill in 2023 (or 2022, or 2021 for that matter) has some fresh faces and veteran reinforcements as the Lions head to training camp.

The latest video from the Detroit Lions Podcast breaks down the starting situation, the depth, newcomers, which player is on the spot and more.

Consider this a more extrapolated companion piece to the recent written breakdown and preview here.

An audio-only version of the episode is also available from your favorite podcast provider.

Lions defensive line depth could be the strength of the defense

Lions defensive line depth could be the strength of the defense, notes Lions Wire’s Russell Brown

As we all await for the Detroit Lions season to get started, it’s fun to look at their schedule, depth chart and speculate the potential of the season. When looking at the Lions defense, it’s hard to look past their defensive line. The depth from this unit runs deep and the 53-man roster could easily see 10-to-12 players from the defensive line on it.

The projected starters are currently:

  • Aidan Hutchinson
  • D.J. Reader
  • Alim McNeill
  • Marcus Davenport

But as we’ve seen under Aaron Glenn’s defense, the Lions use players up front on a situational basis. The key depth players could be the following:

  • John Cominsky
  • Josh Paschal
  • Levi Onwuzurike

It’s expected that a player such as Brodric Martin could really take a big step forward this season. He appears to be in much better football shape than he was a season ago and if Reader or McNeill struggle with any type of injury, he could be the next man up.

Adding to that, the Lions added Mekhi Wingo from LSU in the 2024 NFL Draft. Recently, I discussed him as a potential underrated player to the Lions defense so we’ll need to see what he does in a situational role for the team.

That alone gives the Lions nine defensive lineman that should see the field on a consistent basis. The wildcards of the group are James Houston, Kyle Peko and Mathieu Betts.

Starting with Betts, he’s coming off an 18-sack season in the CFL and not only did it earn him a contract with the Lions but it also helped him win the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award. While he is 29-years old, I’d have to think he should find a spot on the roster but nothing is guaranteed. He was brought onto the roster to compete and my guess is that he’s here to compete with James Houston.

Things are interesting with Houston. He broke his ankle in week 2 last season and was placed on injured reserve. Despite being activated off the IR in January of 2024, the Lions never played him. Houston did have 8 sacks as a rookie and he does provide plenty of juice off the edge. However, comments from Dan Campbell last season makes me wonder if he’s a player on the bubble this summer.

Lastly, the expectations shouldn’t be overly high for Kyle Peko. He’s got familiarity with Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams but he’s primarily been a rotational player in his career. With the Lions already having depth on the interior, he could be the odd man out this summer.

Regardless, the Lions have a deep roster of defensive lineman. With any down and distance, we could see any combination on the field. Those combinations should play to the strengths of the defense and it could be the difference maker to help this unit stay more consistent for the 2024 season.

New Lions DT D.J. Reader might not be ready to start training camp

Head coach Dan Campbell indicated Lions DT D.J. Reader might not be ready to start training camp as he recovers from a torn quadriceps.

With mandatory minicamp wrapping up on Thursday, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell provided a bit of a health update on a couple of free agent signees who have been out with injuries.

Most notably, Campbell offered the first real sense of a timeline for defensive tackle D.J. Reader. Signed as a priority early in the free agency process, Reader is still recovering from a torn quadriceps that ended his 2023 season with the Cincinnati Bengals.

“Yeah, I would say Reader would be the one who – he’ll be a decision on at what point is he ready to start practicing,” Campbell said of the projected starter. “But that’s not something that we’re caught off guard by. We knew this would take a minute here. I would anticipate everybody else to be pretty close to ready, if not it’s going to be tight. It’ll be enough to where they’re going to get a really good amount of training camp work, if that makes sense.

So no, there’s nobody that I’m alarmed by. I would say Reader is probably the one that’s going to take a minute.”

Earlier this offseason, Reader talked optimistically about his recovery. It’s the same injury he suffered in 2020. Reader suffered this latest injury in mid-December, which puts him at a little over six months out. With training camp starting in another seven or so weeks, that gives Reader almost eight full months of recovery.

Campbell indicated that every other currently sidelined player should be “pretty close to ready” to start training camp. That list includes CB Emmanuel Moseley, LT Taylor Decker, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, DB Brian Branch, S Kerby Joseph and EDGE Marcus Davenport.

Bengals say rookie Kris Jenkins will help replace DJ Reader

The Bengals have big plans for a certain rookie defender.

The Cincinnati Bengals surprised some with the approach to the defensive line this offseason after losing nose tackle DJ Reader.

Losing the heart of the line’s interior to free agency appeared to be a big blow. Then, the team added Sheldon Rankins, who doesn’t typically project as a nose.

That led to the idea the Bengals might switch up, even slightly, how they do things up front to compensate.

But perhaps a rookie might step into Reader’s shoes.

Bengals defensive line coach Marion Hobby recently said that second-rounder Kris Jenkins has the strength necessary to step inside at Reader’s old spot if necessary.

“I’m not going in there. He might have to,” Hobby said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He’s comfortable in there. I talked to him about it. He says, ‘Coach, no problem. That’s second nature to me.’ I think he can swing anywhere he wants to swing in there. He’s strong enough. Sometimes it’s beating them to the punch. It’s not so much heaviness, it’s getting hands on them before they get their hands on me.”

While Jenkins appears roughly 20 or more pounds lighter than Reader, there’s certainly something to be said for playing strength and leverage, two key things in any scheme.

And speaking of scheme, Lou Anarumo’s is versatile on a weekly basis depending on the opponent. Jenkins stepping into a Reader-style role is perhaps just one of many the coordinator will have him occupy over 17 games next year.

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Bengals comment on shift from DJ Reader to Sheldon Rankins

The Bengals know they’re making a big change along the defensive line.

The Cincinnati Bengals will have a much different-looking defense in 2024 after the loss of DJ Reader and filling the void with Sheldon Rankins.

Just ask Bengals director of pro scouting Steven Radicevic.

Radicevic recently sat down with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com and brought up that fan-favorite combo of Larry Ogunjobi and B.J. Hill when asked about the frustrations with how free agency turned out along the defensive line:

SR: Yeah. Obviously (Sheldon) Rankins is a different style of player than what we had with DJ (Reader), but he’s going to help us with the interior rush and B.J. (Hill) is going to pair up really well inside. We haven’t really had that combo since Larry (Ogunjobi) and B.J. were rolling together. The interior rush is something we were missing and we’re hopeful that Rankins will give us that.

As outsiders have opined since free agency’s opening salvo, the Bengals look quite different in the trenches with Reader gone and Rankins traditionally viewed as a pass-rusher before anything else.

That said, the lack of interior pass-rush was a major issue last year that didn’t do the edge rushers any favors, either, so the team is clearly confident with its schematic fits and possibilities given the current depth chart.

For his part, Reader recently commented again on his Bengals departure in an interesting manner. Former nose tackle Josh Tupou remains a free agent and it is something the team could still look to address in the draft, too.

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DJ Reader offers interesting comments about departure from Bengals in free agency

DJ Reader’s latest comments about leaving the Bengals might raise an eyebrow.

DJ Reader and the Cincinnati Bengals being unable to work out a deal before he signed with the Detroit Lions in free agency understandably turned lots of heads.

And soon after the events unfolded, Reader’s comments about leaving the Bengals made some noise.

Now there’s a little more in this area in the wake of Reader appearing on the Up & Adams show with Kay Adams.

“I was there doing rehab, doing my thing,” Reader said. “The talks just never happened. And they didn’t happen until free agency happened. And by that time I’m like, ‘I should probably go see what else there is to offer’ since it didn’t seem like…there was a focus on me being there. That might not have been the case, might have had some other things to figure out, but that’s just how I felt.”

Reader has already said he was surprised about how things turned out. And it’s certainly interesting to hear that the team wasn’t in contact before the market opened, so it’s hard to blame player and rep for looking at all options.

Another report has said the Bengals were absolutely interested in bringing Reader back, though it didn’t specify the timing of events. Injury risk or not, the Detroit Lions took advantage of Reader’s availability and the Bengals will need to pivot in the future.

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Bengals meet with another DT at Florida Atlantic pro day

More draft notes on the Bengals.

With college teams holding their pro days in full force, the Cincinnati Bengals are reported to be interested in another defensive tackle, according to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda.

They were present at Florida Atlantic’s pro day where defensive tackle Evan Anderson worked out for scouts and coaches, and the Bengals met with Anderson afterward.

Here’s some of what Pauline wrote about Anderson:

Anderson, a Shrine Bowl player who measured half an inch over 6 feet and 319 pounds in Dallas, timed 5.20 in the forty, hit 30 inches on the vertical jump and completed 31 reps on the bench. He looked solid in position drills, moving incredibly well for a bigger defensive tackle.

Anderson is one of many defensive tackles the Bengals have had their eyes on as the draft approaches, and it remains a position of need for the team since D.J. Reader left in free agency, signing a two-year deal with the Detroit Lions.

Through four seasons with Florida Atlantic, Anderson had seven sacks, 20 tackles for a loss and 145 total tackles. And 3.5 of those sacks and 5.5 of the tackles for a loss came in his final season in school.

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