HEADLINES

D.J. Reader

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/25-12/26/21

December 26th, 2021 at 11:05pm CST by Ely Allen

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed on or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Christmas and today. In some instances, players activated from the list remain on IR:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Steven Sims

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Bengals Sign DT Xavier Williams, Place D.J. Reader On IR

October 12th, 2020 at 1:34pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Bengals are bolstering their banged up defensive line. The team has signed defensive tackle Xavier Williams and placed fellow defensive tackle D.J. Reader on injured reserve in a corresponding roster move, Cincy announced Monday.

As we wrote last night, the team believes Reader, one of their big free agent signings this offseason, will miss the rest of the year with a quad injury. Williams is a 2015 UDFA who spent his first few seasons with the Cardinals. After finally getting some real playing time with Arizona in 2017, he signed with the Chiefs as a restricted free agent the following year. He appeared in all 16 games with Kansas City in 2018, starting four while racking up 47 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

He missed most of last year with an ankle injury but was activated down the stretch, and ended up playing a sizable role on defense in the Chiefs’ first two playoff wins. After earning his ring he signed with the Patriots back in August, but was cut two weeks ago after appearing in only one game with New England.

Fellow interior defensive lineman Mike Daniels is on injured reserve as well, leaving the Bengals without the stout run-stuffing trio they envisioned. Fortunately, All-Pro Geno Atkins made his 2020 debut this past week and should begin to ramp up his snaps.

Bengals Believe DT D.J. Reader Done For The Year

October 11th, 2020 at 4:13pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

On the heels of their first win of the season the Bengals got crushed 27-3 by the Ravens, and the bad news doesn’t end there. The team believes defensive tackle D.J. Reader will miss the rest of the season with a quad injury, sources told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

It’s a brutal blow for a defense that has already been struggling mightily. One of the Bengals’ big offseason acquisitions, Reader signed a four-year, $53MM contract back in March. He had to be carted out of the team’s opener against the Chargers, but that turned out to be minor and he returned the following week. This time he wasn’t as lucky after getting carted off.

Fortunately for Cincy fellow defensive tackle Geno Atkins, an All-Pro, returned for his first action of the season against Baltimore. The Bengals have been getting gashed on the ground, and it looks like they won’t ever really get to see the Reader/Atkins combo they envisioned for 2020.

A fifth-round pick of the Texans back in 2016, Reader quickly broke out in Houston. He became a full-time starter in his second season, and started at least 14 games each of the past four years. Still only 26, Reader should be a big part of Cincinnati’s defense next year.

AFC South Notes: Reader, Colts, Titans

April 5th, 2020 at 6:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans lost D.J. Reader to an unlikely team, with the Bengals deviating from a long-conservative free agency philosophy to sign the breakout defensive lineman to a four-year, $53MM deal. Bill O’Brien confirmed (via the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, on Twitter) the Texans wanted to keep Reader. The seventh-year Texans HC/first-year Texans GM said team brass had “good conversations” with the interior defender’s camp about a new deal but acknowledged the team “couldn’t get that one done.” The Bills, Broncos and Titans were among the known Reader suitors before the Bengals swooped in. The Texans initially came in with a $6MM-per-year offer before the 2019 season, but Reader’s bet on himself translated into $13MM-plus-AAV deal. Houston has not made a move to replace Reader up front. The Texans have $35MM in cap space but are working on a Laremy Tunsil extension and obviously have a Deshaun Watson deal to consider.

Here is the latest out of the AFC South:

  • Justin Reid made a pitch to O’Brien to consider his brother as an addition at safety, Wilson notes. The Panthers recently released Eric Reid. In addition to the younger Reid brother, Houston employs Tashaun Gipson at safety and just signed Eric Murray to a deal that surprised many. The Texans are not likely to make another major addition at this position this offseason.
  • Coming off one of the worst kicking seasons in modern NFL history, the Titans are bringing back late-season addition Greg Joseph. But they will add competition soon, GM Jon Robinson confirmed (via Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com). Robinson said the team will look in both free agency and the draft for its second kicker. The Titans went a ghastly 8-for-18 on field goals last season. Joseph did not attempt a field goal in two regular-season games with Tennessee and only attempted one — a make — in the Titans’ three playoff games. The former Browns kicker made all 18 of his extra point tries, however, and was successful on 25 of 29 field goal tries during his 2018 season in Cleveland.
  • The Colts‘ T.J. Carrie addition did not seem to add up given Kenny Moore‘s place as one of the league’s best slot cornerbacks, but GM Chris Ballard said the team needed better depth at this position (via Stephen Holder of The Athletic, on Twitter). Carrie has played both inside and outside during his time with the Browns and Raiders and will likely be given time at both spots with the Colts. He’s done his best NFL work in the slot, however, so Indianapolis should be covered behind Moore this season. Moore missed five games due to injury in 2019.

Bengals “Officially” Sign D.J. Reader

April 3rd, 2020 at 3:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have officially signed D.J. Reader, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The two sides agreed to a deal weeks ago, but the pandemic threw a wrench into their plans.

The deal, at long last, is done after Reader agreed to additional language that has been popping up more and more as of late. In essence, Reader’s deal is done, though he still must pass a physical in order for the deal to take effect. If he doesn’t pass, the Bengals will have the option of cutting him immediately or keeping the contract as-is. It adds an extra layer of protection for the Bengals, of course, but also ensures that Reader will not be left in a holding pattern.

As previously reported, Reader’s four-deal is set to pay him $53MM with a favorable cash flow. He’ll get $22.25MM in Year 1 and $31.75MM over the first two years of the contract. It’s a big commitment, but the Bengals believe that it’s a worthwhile one – Reader is fantastic against the run and he’ll be downright scary when lined up next to Geno Atkins on the interior line.

“I know we’re in a good spot with the mix of young and experienced players that know what they’re doing. You’ve got guys like Geno and Carlos Dunlap that have played a lot of ball,” Reader told the team website recently. “They’re great leaders and everybody in the back end. And we’ve got some new guys coming in now. It’s a revamped team, but a lot of their standard pieces are in place. It wasn’t like you needed that much to come. You’ve got young guys like (right end) Sam Hubbard, the receivers are good. Running back Joe Mixon is good; the offensive line is good and has a lot of guys that have been there. I knew the record didn’t reflect what the team had last year.”

The Broncos, Bills, and Titans were among the clubs looking at Reader last month. Ultimately, the Bengals came out on top to land one of the league’s best young 3-4 NTs.

Bengals To Sign D.J. Reader

March 17th, 2020 at 3:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have reached agreement on a deal with Texans free agent defensive tackle D.J. Reader, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Reader is set to collect $53MM on his new four-year deal with Cincy.

The Broncos, Bills, and Titans were among the clubs connected to Reader in recent weeks. Just last night, we heard that Denver was in discussions with the Clemson product. The Texans, meanwhile, wanted to keep him, but the two sides were unable to come to terms on compensation. Reader was relatively unheralded coming out of college, slipping to the fifth-round in 2016. He’s certainly not unheralded anymore.

Reader was exceptional against the run last year. He’s also made strides as a pass rusher – he didn’t register a ton of sacks, but that doesn’t quite tell the whole story. He was often able to generate some pressure up the middle, and disrupt the pocket. Now, he’ll pair with Geno Atkins to form one of the most intimidating interior duos in the NFL. The Bengals will now have an imposing defensive front, but they still have some work to do at linebacker and in the secondary.

Cincinnati usually wasn’t a big spender in free agency during the Marvin Lewis era, but they’ve clearly changed their approach with new head coach Zac Taylor. They’ve particularly been going after guys on defense, as we heard they tried aggressively for linebackers Joe Schobert and Nick Kwatikoski before those two guys landed their huge deals.

The Bengals’ defense was atrocious last year, and obviously they’re willing to spend big to revamp it. They’re hoping Reader and an improved defense will make life easier for a rookie quarterback, presumably LSU’s Joe Burrow, in 2020.

Broncos Targeting DL D.J. Reader

March 16th, 2020 at 7:59pm CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos are eyeing D.J. Reader, but it sounds like they’ll have some competition. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos “continue to be in discussions” with the defensive lineman.

However, Klis cautions that Denver is probably “not the only team” pursuing Reader. Meanwhile, NFL.com’s James Palmer tweets that the Broncos are “still very interested” in the lineman.

The 25-year-old has spent the first four seasons of his career in Houston, and he’s started each of his 45 games over the past three years. That includes a 2019 campaign where he compiled a career-high 52 tackles and 2.5 sacks. The 2016 fifth-rounder has appeared in 61 regular season games during his career.

The Broncos have been relatively busy today. Most notably, they inked offensive lineman Graham Glasgow to a four-year, $44MM contract.

Bills, Titans To Pursue D.J. Reader?

March 7th, 2020 at 4:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a strong contract year, D.J. Reader appears set to have a strong market. In addition to the Broncos being interested in the four-year Texans defensive lineman, the Bills and Titans are expected to be in on this pursuit as well, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle notes.

Reader is expected to command a deal that pays at least $11MM annually, per Wilson, who adds that the Texans initially offered the former third-round pick a $6MM-per-year deal. That offer, however, came during the 2019 offseason — before Reader’s quality season thrust him onto the radar for a big second contract.

Reader graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 7 overall interior defender last season, operating as one of the league’s top run stoppers. He will turn 26 in July. The Texans have made multiple offers to their breakout interior defender, but Wilson adds that Reader is not expected to return to Houston next season. That will create an interesting marketplace for teams in need of inside help.

Buffalo may lose Jordan Phillips in free agency but used a first-round pick on Ed Oliver last year and has promising 2018 third-rounder Harrison Phillips coming back from ACL surgery. While both Oliver and the younger Phillips are on rookie contracts, run-stuffing defensive tackle Star Lotulelei is attached to a $10MM-AAV deal. The Bills, who will also likely be interested in edge rushers given Shaq Lawson‘s free agent status and Trent Murphy‘s underwhelming Buffalo run so far, are set to hold more than $82MM in cap space. That figure sits third in the league.

Tennessee used a first-rounder on Jeffery Simmons last year and has Jurrell Casey signed through 2022 on a $15MM-per-year pact. Reader would certainly make the Titans a well-invested team on the defensive front. They are also rumored to submit a big offer to Jadeveon Clowney. It is, however, difficult to project how the Titans will proceed. They hold just more than $50MM in cap space but have Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry and Jack Conklin as UFAs-to-be. The Titans’ Tom Brady interest only further clouds their picture.

Broncos Interested In DL D.J. Reader

March 1st, 2020 at 5:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos have Derek Wolfe and Shelby Harris set for free agency. While both have expressed a desire to return, the prospect of the Broncos needing two replacement defensive ends certainly exists.

Denver has expressed interest in Houston defensive lineman D.J. Reader, according to 9News’ Mike Klis (on Twitter). Other teams will be in the running for the breakout interior defender, but the Broncos are monitoring the four-year Texans defender.

Reader broke through last season, registering 13 quarterback hits — more than his first three seasons combined — and ranking as Pro Football Focus’ No. 7 interior defender. At 25, he is much younger than Wolfe (29) or Harris (28). Denver drafted Dre’Mont Jones in Round 3 last year and could use him as a starter, but if both Wolfe and Harris exit, the franchise will need help up front.

The Texans and Reader have discussed an extension, but nothing has emerged on the sides being close on a re-up that would keep the former fifth-round pick in Houston. Reader started 52 games for the Texans. Both Denver and Houston rank in the top 10 in 2020 cap space, with the Broncos holding north of $70MM (seventh) and the Texans at $61MM-plus (ninth).

Texans, D.J. Reader Not Close On Extension

January 8th, 2020 at 2:44pm CST by Rory Parks

Texans defensive tackle D.J. Reader is far from a household name, but he looks poised to become a very rich man in the near future. The Clemson product, who was selected by the Texans in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, is finishing up the last year of his rookie contract and is eligible for unrestricted free agency in March.

In his platform year, Reader has continued to thrive as a run-stopper, and his ability to absorb blocks and open lanes for Houston’s linebackers is a key component of the team’s defense. He has also shown growth as a pass rusher, and even though he hasn’t posted a sack since Week 5, head coach Bill O’Brien recently acknowledged that Reader gives the defense some “juice” in the passing game.

As such, it makes sense that Houston would want to retain Reader’s services for the foreseeable future, but as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes, the two sides are “nowhere close” on a new deal. Such a contract may look similar to the five-year, $54MM ($27.5MM guaranteed) pact the Ravens gave to Brandon Williams in 2017, which looked like an overpay at the time but which now may be more in line with the current market. Like Williams, Reader is a natural 3-4 nose tackle who can play defensive end and whose primary job is to stop the run and eat blocks while making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable when he can.

If the two sides cannot come to an agreement before free agency opens, Wilson suggests that the franchise tag could be in play for Reader, who was named as a Pro Bowl alternate this year. The 2020 tag for DTs is projected to be roughly $15.5MM.

For what it’s worth, Reader would like to stay with the Texans. “Oh, you know I love it here,” Reader said. “I love the fans. I love the organization. They gave me my first real job. I love the city. People love me here. Hopefully, that opportunity comes around.”

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