D.J. Reader, Cincinnati Bengals
So I included one big deal. But I honestly couldn’t help it. I cannot express this strongly enough: the Bengals rarely spend major money on free agents. This has not only been true historically but even more desperately so in the past half-decade; since 2015, Cincinnati had not signed a single player to a deal over $26 million.
Not one, despite a clear lack of talent in the linebacker room and a nuclear disaster along the offensive line. But not long into free agency 2020, the Bengals had already spent over $125 million on the likes of Trae Waynes, Vonn Bell, Xavier Su’a-Filo, Mackensie Alexander, and Josh Bynes. And while all of those names look to fill starting roles, D.J. Reader is the true gem of the group.
While Reader’s contract does make him the highest-paid nose tackle in the league, he likely will not play that position exclusively for Cincinnati’s hybrid 3-4 defense. Instead, they will deploy him opposite long-time stalwart Geno Atkins in sets with four down linemen to form one of the most formidable interior defensive lines in the entire league.
Rated the fifth-best defensive tackle in the NFL by PFF, Reader doesn’t even turn 26 until next month and excelled against both the pass (ranked 15th) and run (5th) during his tenure with Houston; he will replace Andrew Billings, a steady player without the star power that Reader brings to the room.
As his former Texans teammate, J.J. Watt told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle prior to last season, the attention Reader commands is impressive for a nose tackle.
“(Reader) has a grinder’s job. Literally his job is to take on double teams and block up that middle so everybody else can make plays, and he still makes plays… I think for a nose tackle to be able to do that with the endurance and athleticism he has, I don’t think he gets enough credit.”
The Bengals expect Reader to be part of the New Age Bengals: willing to spend money, willing to force change when needed, and willing to put themselves in the best position to win. Players of his caliber don’t often find themselves in Cincinnati, and many (myself included) hope this is a sign of a change in the wind for the oft-downtrodden franchise.
