Outlet Names Best Free Agent Landing Spot for Reader
By: Gavin Oliver February 24, 2026

Mike Payton, a Detroit Lions beat writer at A to Z Sports, named the best landing spots for five of the Lions’ top free agents if they don’t come back to Detroit.

Among those impending Lions free agents is veteran defensive tackle and former Clemson standout DJ Reader.

Payton named one of Reader’s former teams – the Cincinnati Bengals – as the best landing spot for the 31-year-old and 6-foot-3, 330-pound Reader.

After being drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft, Reader spent the first four seasons of his NFL career (2016-19) in Houston before playing four years with the Bengals from 2020-23.

Clemson defensive tackle D.J. Reader (48) reacts after bringing down USC quarterback Dylan Thompson (17) during the third quarter Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. (Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider)

“Bengals fans actually really want this to happen,” Payton wrote regarding a potential Reader-Bengals reunion. “They need help on the interior of their defensive line, and here’s a guy that they already know works there. Reader coming back to Detroit just doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen, so it makes sense that he would go back to the Bengals, where he fits a lot more.”

Reader has spent the last two seasons with the Lions after signing a two-year deal with the team prior to the 2024 campaign.

During his first year in Detroit in 2024, Reader started all 15 games he played in, tallying 23 total tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, eight quarterback hits and one pass defended. In 2025, he started all 17 games for the Lions, recording 28 total tackles and four quarterback hits.

Reader is ranked by Pro Football Focus (PFF) as the 20th-best player, regardless of position, set to enter free agency.

“Reader is now 31 years old and has not quite matched his peak form from his time in Cincinnati since arriving in Detroit, but he remains an above-average starter at the NFL level,” PFF wrote. “His 68.4 PFF grade ranked 36th among interior defensive linemen this season, and he has never recorded a PFF pass-rush or run-defense grade below 60.0 in any season of his career.”

The 2026 league year and free agency officially begin at 4 p.m. on March 11. Teams can start negotiating when the league’s legal tampering period window begins at noon on March 9.