D. J. Reader

D. J. Reader

Reader with the Houston Texans in 2016
No. 98 – Detroit Lions
Position:	Nose tackle
Personal information
Born:	(1994-07-01) July 1, 1994 (age 29) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	335 lb (152 kg)
Career information
High school:	Grimsley (NC)
College:	Clemson
NFL draft:	2016  / Round: 5 / Pick: 166
Career history
Houston Texans (2016–2019) Cincinnati Bengals (2020–2023) Detroit Lions (2024-present)
Roster status:	Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles: 277 Sacks: 9.5 Forced fumbles: 1 Fumble recoveries: 3 Pass deflections: 8
Player stats at PFR

David Vernon"D. J." Reader Jr. (born July 1, 1994) is an American football nose tackle for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson. He previously played for the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals. ^[1]

College career

Reader played football and baseball at Clemson University. Reader was a pitcher for Tigers baseball in its 2013 season. ^[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 2+5⁄8 in (1.90 m)	327 lb (148 kg)	33 in (0.84 m)	9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m)	5.27 s	1.87 s	3.06 s	4.71 s	7.90 s	29.5 in (0.75 m)	8 ft 3 in (2.51 m)	30 reps
Sources: [3] [4]

Houston Texans

Reader was selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. The Texans had previously obtained the aforementioned pick in a trade that sent Keshawn Martin to the New England Patriots. ^[5] He started seven games in his rookie year logging one sack, seven solo tackles and 15 assisted tackles. ^[6]

In 2017, Reader replaced the retired Vince Wilfork as the Texans starting nose tackle. He started the first 14 games of the season before being placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2017. ^[7]

On September 9, 2018, during the 2018 season opener against the New England Patriots, Reader had the first multi-sack game of his career with 2 on Tom Brady.

In Week 3 of the 2019 season against the Los Angeles Chargers, Reader recorded 1.5 sacks on Philip Rivers in the 27–20 win. ^[8]

Cincinnati Bengals

On April 2, 2020, Reader signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. ^{[9] [10]} He was placed on injured reserve on October 12, 2020, with a quad injury. ^[11]

Reader was named the starting nose tackle for the Bengals in 2021. He finished the season with 43 tackles and two sacks. In Reader's second season with the Bengals, the team won three playoff games to reach Super Bowl LVI. Reader recorded a sack in a 23–20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. ^[12]

Reader suffered a knee injury in Week 3 of the 2022 season and was placed on injured reserve on September 29, 2022. ^[13] He was activated on November 19, ^[14] and played in each of the team's remaining seven regular season games, all victories. Cincinnati won the AFC North with a 12–4 record and entered the postseason on an eight-game winning streak. Reader recorded two solo tackles in the team's 24–17 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round, and another two tackles (one solo) in a 27–10 win over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round. ^{[15] [16]}

For the third season in a row in 2023, Reader was named the team's starting nose tackle. His only sack of the season came in Week 3 against the Rams. In Week 15 against the Minnesota Vikings, Reader went down with an injury on the second play of the game. He was later diagnosed with a torn quadriceps tendon the following day, ending his 2023 campaign. ^[17] He finished the season with 34 tackles, one sack, and one pass deflection.

Detroit Lions

On March 14, 2024, Reader signed with the Detroit Lions ^[18]

Personal life

Reader's father, David Sr., died from kidney failure on June 30, 2014. ^[19] Reader has one son, born in November 2019.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Interceptions						Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2016	HOU	16	7	22	7	15	1.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
2017	HOU	14	14	47	23	24	1.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2018	HOU	16	16	33	23	10	2.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2019	HOU	15	15	52	28	24	2.5	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2020	CIN	5	5	19	8	11	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
2021	CIN	15	15	43	22	21	2.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2022	CIN	10	10	27	18	9	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	4	1	2	0	0
2023	CIN	14	14	34	20	14	1.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0
Career		105	96	277	149	128	9.5	0	0	0.0	0	0	8	1	3	0	0

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Interceptions						Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2016	HOU	2	2	3	2	1	1.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2018	HOU	1	1	6	3	3	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2019	HOU	2	2	7	4	3	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2021	CIN	4	4	12	7	5	1.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2022	CIN	3	3	8	4	4	0.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Career		12	12	36	20	16	2.0	0	0	0.0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0

References

1. https://www.detroitlions.com/news/lions-sign-unrestricted-free-agent-dl-d-j-reader
2. "D.J. Reader, RH Pitcher". Clemson University. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
3. "D.J. Reader Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
4. "2016 Draft Scout D.J. Reader, Clemson NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
5. "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
6. Ganguli, Tania (April 30, 2016). "Texans select D.J. Reader in 5th round of 2016 NFL Draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
7. "TRANSACTIONS: Texans add three to active roster". HoustonTexans.com. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018.
8. "Watson, Watt lead way as Texans outlast Chargers, 27-20". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
9. Williams, Charean (March 17, 2020). "Bengals agree to terms on four-year, $53 million deal with D.J. Reader". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
10. "Bengals Announce Agreements With Eight Unrestricted Free Agents". Bengals.com. April 8, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
11. "Bengals Sign DT Xavier Williams, Place D.J. Reader On Reserve/Injured". Bengals.com. October 12, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
12. "Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals - February 13th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
13. "Bengals Roster Moves: Reader Placed on Reserve/Injured List". Bengals.com. September 29, 2022.
14. "Bengals Roster Moves: DJ Reader Activated, Punter and Wide Receiver Elevated for Week 11". Bengals.com. November 19, 2022.
15. "Wild Card Round Box Score". January 15, 2023.
16. "Divisional Round Box Score". January 23, 2023.
17. Marcum, Jason (December 16, 2023). "DJ Reader suffers torn quad tendon". Cincy Jungle. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
18. "D.J. Reader agrees to two-year, $27.25M contract with Lions". NFL.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
19. Ganguli, Tania (July 22, 2016). "D.J. Reader learns to overcome grief over his father's death to realize his NFL dream". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 5, 2023.

External links

• Cincinnati Bengals bio
• Clemson Tigers bio