The Detroit Lions have beefed up their interior defensive line in free agency.
Veteran defensive tackle D.J. Reader has agreed to terms on a two-year, $27.25 million contract with the Lions, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported on Thursday, per sources informed of the pact. The deal includes over $9 million guaranteed.
Reader visited Detroit on Thursday partly to get a medical checkup on his torn quad, which ended his season in Week 15. It marked the second torn quad Reader has dealt with in his eight-year career. The Lions were comfortable in his progress from the quad repair, Garafolo reported.
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A fifth-round pick by Houston in 2016, Reader spent the past four years in Cincinnati anchoring Lou Anarumo’s defense. The 6-foot-3, 335-pound DT swallows blocks and moves linemen at will.
As stout as they come on the interior, Reader rarely gives an inch and completely nullifies gaps. While he’s not a penetrator, the veteran pushes the pocket and frees up lanes for teammates. Much of what Reader excels at doesn’t show up on a stat sheet. Just ask Anarumo.
“D.J. is a hard guy to replace,” Anarumo told Cincinnati reporters last month at the NFL Scouting Combine, via Cincinnati Bengals Talk. “Hopefully, we don’t have to, but he’s such a great locker room guy to start with and then just what he does inside, in the interior of the defense, he just controls blocks. It’s a lot of things that people don’t see. 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.”
In his eight seasons, Reader has generated 9.5 sacks, 44 QB hits, 277 tackles and 23 TFLs.
Detroit needed to upgrade the defensive line this offseason and netted a big fish in Reader. The 30-year-old pairs perfectly with Alim McNeill, a penetrator who could opportunities blossom playing next to the veteran. If both Reader and McNeil can stay healthy, the Lions’ defensive interior just got loads better.